House of Silence-Part 1
by gumygum62
Summary: Madame Kovarian has a devious plan and a rare Gallifreyian engine to get it started. Melody Pond wasn't the only Time child she as taken. Join the Doctor and River Song as they try to get back what has been taken from them and stop the reign of the Kovarian Chapter once and for all. I will try to post a chapter every week, so plz follow for updates and review. I love feedback!
1. Prologue

The House of Silents

Doctor Who Fan Fiction by: gumygum62

Prologue

A heavy metal door automatically slides open, revealing a, hard, middle-aged woman. Her demeaner and disciplined body language told a story of brutal war and hardship. Her pressed high-ranking uniform and cold emotionless face made her army of men and women straighten their backs straighter and avoid eye contact as she marched passed them through the long corridor. She glanced out the asteroid proof windows seeing the foot of her military headquarters perched on a controlled asteroid.

One brave soldier approached her. "Madame Kovarian, here are the charts." He nervously sputtered.

Madame Kovarian took the chart from the young soldier and read it quickly as they both continued to walk to the next metal door of the 52st century space base.

"Very good. You're dismissed." She told him. The young soldier bowed and quickly scurried away.

Madame Kovarian opened a secret hatch located on the left side of the metal door frame. She entered a code and the door slid open.

As she entered the room she was immediately greeted with the lead scientist. "Hello Madame, I must say you are looking graceful this morning." He told her in hopes that it would ease the tension in her face.

"Cut the crap, Dr. Hieck." She told him, not impressed. "Is it ready?"

"Yes…well kind of. Madame I must advise that using it now would be unprecedented. According to the old data that we retrieved from the Library's CAL system archives, the machine needs a link to the Loomographic records for it to be stable. If it starts the weaving process the machine could…."

"I don't want the details of your concerns." She interrupted him angrily, stopping him speaking immediately. "Will it scan and will it work?" She asked again in a stern voice.

Dr. Hieck swallowed hard and held the urge to wipe away the sweat from forehead in fear of moving "Yes, Madame." He finally said

"Good." Kovarian said with a grin. "Prepare it like we planned and find the Doctor and his silly little wife." She walked passed Dr. Hieck, who instantly rushed up to the nearest phone and told the person to proceed.

Kovarian stopped to admire the machine in question. The oval like structure seemed almost fictitious, standing 18 feet tall and 10 feet wide. The round chamber had a sliding door with no way to get in and a small round scanning device above it. It was gold in color and had the most beautiful Gallifreyian text covering the sides that seemed to glisten like polished glass.

It didn't take long before another young soldier, female this time, to run into the room to Kovarian's side. "We found them, Madame." She said

"Both together?" Madame Kovarian asked.

"Yes, Madame."

"Good. Extracted them and proceed with the plan." She told her and let out a relieved sigh. "My wonderful revengeful plan." She added letting out a devious grin and stroking her eye patch.


	2. Loomborn

The House of Silence

Chapter 1: Loomborn

The Doctor and River Song laughed together as they walked down an empty city street of Beijing. The street was littered in colorful ribbons, confetti and other party debris. The cold late winter wind blew between the building and through alleyways moving plastic party cups and other rubbish underneath cars and chained bicycles.

"…and you stepped on her tail?" River Song asked laughing, wiping away party glitter from her bright red cocktail dress and fixing the curls of messy blonde hair.

"Yes. And she didn't have the heart to tell me." The Doctor answered laughing with River remembering that humorous memory. As they both approached the TARDIS, the Doctor swung his new blue blazer over his shoulder and untied his bow-tie to make himself more comfortable.

River leaned against the TARDIS and admired the fireworks and spotlights in the distance from once they came. The never-ending celebration lit up the night sky with a golden red hue.

"She was sweet." The Doctor added leaning close next to her.

"Not as sweet as this I hope." River said giving the Doctor a deep unexpected kiss.

"Happy anniversary." The Doctor kissed her back running his fingers through her hair, moving her closer as she brushed his body with hers.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Song." A voice said making the two lovers unlock their moment to look and see who was greeting them. "Or by the looks of it, it might be morning." A 52st century female church member stepped out of the shadows of the ally kicking away a discarded plastic party cup. Four more members arrived surrounding the Doctor and River with weapons drawn. "Must have been some party."

The Doctor relaxed his body language hoping to deescalate the situation. "Yes, it was. The biggest New Year celebration in China's history. In Earth's history in fact."

"Pity you lot missed it." River said following the Doctor's lead.

"Yeah, pity." The church member agreed as she cocked her hand gun and pointed it at the couple.

"Wait! What is this? What do you want?" the Doctor asked with growing concern, moving River behind him.

"You both have been summoned by the Kovarian Chapter. So naturally this is a kidnapping." She informed. She pulled the trigger of her gun shooting the Doctor in the left shoulder. He reached up to his injury to find that the bullet was a small dart. He heard another gun shot from behind him, but before he could react, darkness overcame him. And the two Time Lords fell to the cold pavement losing consciousness.

The Doctor slowly regained consciousness finding himself suspended in an upright restraint, making him unable to move. He looked around the blast proof chamber finding River next to him also in restraints and slowly gaining consciousness. He was relieved to see her unharmed, but quickly fell in shock as he looked up at a golden Gallifreyian structure. "What?" he said in disbelief as he tried to free himself.

"Doctor, what is that?" River asked with panic in her voice also looking at the structure reading the Gallifreyian writing on its side.

The Doctor didn't answer her and he didn't want to. So, he continued to struggle becoming desperate.

"Doctor! Tell me what is it!" She demanded seeing the panic in his face.

"It's a Gallifreyian breeding machine also known as a Loom." A familiar voice answered. The Doctor and River froze and stared in shock as Madame Kovarian stepped towards them.

"Kovarian. You're looking younger." The Doctor said noticing that there were no Silents amongst her.

Kovarian smiled. "Time lines, Doctor. They're hard to keep track." She turned away and went to a control box that was connected to the Loom's side panel, she then gently turned a dial making the box hum. "But that doesn't matter in this case."

"So, what? Are you going to scan us? Well it won't work. And how did you even get a Loom anyway?" The Doctor asked.

"Spoils of war, Doctor. And why do you think it won't work? I have everything that it needs." Kovarian questioned, curious about what he had to say.

"You don't know what you are talking about. A Loom is a breeding-engine invented by my people. It requires not only a physical scan of two primary forms but it needs base matter and biodata from more than two family members. Not to mention it needs a lot of power. More power than this place can produce. You can't just bake yourself a Time Lord whenever you…AHHH!" The Doctor and River cried out as the Loom's scanner activated. Only lasting a few seconds, it scanned them from toe to head then allowing them to rest for a moment before scanning them once more with its powerful ray. Once it was done a small green light blinked on the control box singling that it was ready.

"Physical scan." Kovarian said walking up to the Doctor. She pulled out a combat knife and cut his wrist deep. He screamed out pleading her to stop as she did the same to River. Their fresh blood pooled on to the floor and Kovarian scooped up a small amount of it into a vial.

"Biodata from family members." She said reaching into her pocket revealing two human hairs. One short and light brown, and the other long and bright ginger red. "Two generations should do." She mocked the Doctor checking another requirement off his list.

She then walked back to the control box and placed the vial of blood and hairs into a centrifuge that automatically started to spin, feeding the contents to the Loom. She gave the Doctor an emotionless stare and snapped her fingers. Two strong church members carried in a 100-gallon drum of viscous white liquid and connected it to a transfer pipe that was also feeding to the Loom.

"I'm sure you have heard of the programmable matter used to clone industrial workers. The government's worst-kept secret? The flesh?" Kovarian asked ironically to the Doctor as he shook his head disbelief. "Base matter." She mocked him. "Now, what was the last thing on your silly little list?" she looked up at the Loom, tapping her finger on her chin as she mockingly thought of the answer. "oh yes. I remember…POWER!" She shouted at him. She then pressed a button hard on her wrist watch making the TARDIS appear next to the Loom.

The Doctor stared in dread. "No, please." He pleaded as her men obtained the TARDIS key from his jacket.

"Kovarian please stop! If you activate the Loom it could over heat and blow up this entire galaxy. The TARDIS could rip a hole in space and time. Please don't do this!" River screamed with tears rolling down her face, giving her last effort to stop this madness.

However, her warnings fell on deaf ears and Kovarian pulled down a lever on the control box, activating the Loom.

The structure started to shake and glow iridescent like a living pearl. Dr. Hieck stared at the sight in amazement. "It's working." He said. However, it didn't take long before his wonder faded. The shaking suddenly became more violent and its pastel colors turned harshly bright. The Loom could no longer withstand the pressure and it cracked like an egg.

The crack grew downward to the base of itself and expanded. Golden lightning ruptured out of the crack followed by celestial particles softly shooting outward like stunning threads. As the threads rained down around the room time seemed to slow and almost stop completely.

The Doctor looked over at River seeing the sadness and sorrow in her. It broke his hearts and he let out his last scream.

As soon as time came to a stop it started rapidly reversing. Pulling light and matter inward back into the Loom. The implosion collapsed and a solid colossal ripple of golden regeneration particles exploded outward shattering all the equipment and hurling living bodies to the ground, ending the cataclysmic event.

The Doctor regained focus lifting himself to his knees. The deafening ringing and blurry vision quickly faded, noticing that his restraints were jolted loose in the blast. He managed to wiggle himself free and immediately ran to River's side to help her up.

"River, are you OK?" he asked relieved to see her alive.

"Oh Doctor. What have they done?" She cried looking at the destroyed Loom.

A hand pulled its way out of the vertical opening of the mangled structure. Suddenly, out fell a teen age looking Time Lord boy. The vulnerable child hit the floor hard making him gasped his first breath of frigid air. Jolting his nervous system and making him cry out in shock.

"No," the Doctor whispered. He and River were instantly grabbed by woken church members, stopping them from escaping.

"Please, Kovarian don't take him." River pleaded barely able to find her voice.

The Doctor also pleaded in sorrow. "Please, he's only a new born. He may look older but he'll have the mind like a child." They begged as Kovarian dragged the limp new Time Lord to them.

"Doctor, River, say hello to your son." The boy weakly looked up at his mother and father for the first time. Brown hair like his fathers couldn't hide his intense TARDIS blue eyes as they swelled with tears seeing the sadness in their faces. "Now, say good-bye!" she shouted angrily and yanked the boy away violently.

River became emotional. "No please let him go! Please!" She screamed as the Doctor tried to fight the members off him completely ignoring the sting of a syringe entering the back of his neck. But blackness come fast upon them once again and they woke up back on the streets of Beijing where they were taken. Back on Earth in front of the TARDIS.

The new Time Lord sat nervously and anxiously on the edge of his new bed in his new room. However, he wasn't sure if this place was new. It smelled musty and abandoned. Dr. Hieck called it the orphanage. His new home. On the way, he learned how to talk and walk, to read and write. He observed and listened to the other church members and picked up meanings of words and body language very quickly. He also learned that clothing was very important. Although he wasn't used to them. He straightened his black t-shirt trying to make it more comfortable. And his grey sweat pants were a little too warm for his liking.

He gave up on the effort and looked around for something to do. However, there was nothing. The room was plain and the shelves were empty. No décor, no book, or toys. The only windows in the room were three large skylights allowing the Time Lord to see the stars and the wonders within them. The boy moved to a small study deck and opened the side drawers hoping to find hidden treasure but they too were empty. He sighed in disappointment and sadly sat back on the bed and waited.

Madame Kovarian walked down the hallway of the orphanage and stopped at the ladder to the attic where the new Time Lord was waiting. Dr. Hieck followed closely behind her giving her information about the boy and his abilities.

"The Doctor was right the boy has only a child-like mind. He's highly sensitive…" he informed her but quickly noticed that she was growing irritated. "However, his ability to learn and retain information is remarkable. Nothing like I've ever seen. Just in this short amount of time he learned every subject to an advanced college level. And his physical strength is healthy and fully developed. I have no doubt that he can immediately start combat training for the cause." He nervously added hoping that that information would be enough to please her.

And it worked, she smiled with confidence. "Good, let's get started then." She announced and headed up the ladder.

Kovarian and Dr. Hieck entered the attic making the new Time Lord more anxious and nervous not knowing how to greet a people. Kovarian approached him sternly.

"Your new name is The Son and you are part of the Kovarian Chapter now. Do you understand?" she asked in a harsh serious tone. The boy nodded his head trembling in fear. She softened her face and continued. "Dr. Hieck as informed me that you are a fast learner. That's good because this is…" she held up a small brown book shifting the Son's focus. "your first mission." She handed the book to the boy who quickly became excited about is new gift, titled " _Knife Throwing 101"_

"A book! I love books. Dr. Hieck let me read so many earlier. There was one on Biology of every know alien in the universe, one on Galactic Geology, and Solar Mathematics." The Son said with excitement eager to talk about his favorite subjects. "oh, and there was one on advanced robotics that was…"

"That's enough!" Kovarian shouted in anger scaring the child speechless. "I don't care about what you have learned as long as you learned and act upon it. Now read the damn book." She ordered.

The Son swallowed hard and did what he was told. He flipped through the pages of the book quickly reading faster than any human. Three seconds went by and he was done. He closed the book and handed back to Kovarian.

Kovarian's anger rose not believing that the boy read and understood the book's information. Dr. Hieck stepped forward to shed some light on the situation and stopping her from beating the child with the book. "Let's demonstrate what you have learned, Son." He smiled at the boy lowering his anxiousness. He then tacked a small paper target onto the wall of the room. Kovarian followed his lead and handed the Son her 7 inch, still bloodied, combat knife. The Son positioned himself 20 feet from the target and with ease threw the knife, sticking it on the bull's eye.

Kovarian let out a smirk. "Impressive." She said, "Bring them in." she ordered into her two-way communicator.

Suddenly church members started hauling up stacks and stacks of books and work material. Filling all the shelves and closets, covering the study deck making the room seem smaller and tight.

"Your next mission is to read these books and tomorrow you first day of basic training will begin." She told the Son. "also, you may keep the knife and if you don't complete this or any other mission you will face the consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" the Son asked not understanding if the word meant reward or punishment.

Kovarian unexpectedly back handed the child hard across his face making the meaning of the word very clear. "That kind."

The Son was left alone in his new home sobbing from the stinging mark on his left cheek. Lifting himself up off the floor he wanted to please Madame Kovarian and complete his mission. He sniffed and wiped the tears away and grabbed the first of hundreds of books. He flipped through the pages fast and efficiently but a feeling of loneliness over powered him. He looked up at the skylight windows that made a picture perfect vision of the night sky. The stars shined so bright and clear that the Son could focus intensely on them, hearing their hum, seeing their beauty, and feeling their movement. Providing the young Time Lord much needed comfort.


	3. Hope

The House of Silence Chapter 2: Hope

In the TARDIS, the Doctor intensely stared at the main console screen, watching as the TARDIS continues to scan the entirety of time and space for a single Time Lord. Not only was the TARDIS struggling to meet the demands of her enraged and grieving thief, but her scanning percentage hasn't changed in 6 months. Standing at a stalled 1%, the Doctor's anger rose to its max and he slams his fists hard on the center console.

"Why can't you just find one child?!" He shouted in frustration. In a frantic rage, he then ran to a side panel and ripped it off its screws, tearing wires and conduits from their connectors.

River ran into the room seeing the Doctor kneeling on the glass floor in his desperate deconstruction. "Doctor, stop that! What are you doing?" She asked prying him away for the mess.

"I need to expand the scanner's radius. Maybe, if I can rewire the circuits to the capillaries maybe it will find our son. Maybe, it will take me to Amy Pond when Kovarian took her or take me to Kovarian, herself, so I can stop her from taking you. Two children she has stolen, River! Two children on my watch!" He confessed, tears forming in his eyes as he turned to face her. "I couldn't find you and it killed me. I couldn't give you back to her, to your mother. And I'm Sorry. I'm so sorry." Grief and guilt overcame him and he collapsed in River's arms.

"That wasn't your fault, Doctor. And you did bring me back to my parents. Maybe not in the way you wanted too or in the way you should have done, but they got to raise me. I got to be with them and I got love them." She told the Doctor giving him forgiveness. "The TARDIS is doing her best. Tearing her apart isn't going to help. The universe is just too big, Sweetie."

The Doctor cleared his mind and took a moment to think. "The universe is just too big." He repeated. He got up and prepared the TARDIS for flight.

"Doctor, where are we going?" River asked seeing the Doctor's face light up with an idea.

"The universe is big, they must have seen or heard of him at some point. They have their eye on all Galactic Zones." The Doctor replied, explaining his plan to himself and half way explaining it to River.

"Who's they?" River asked not understanding.

"The Space Police." The Doctor answered with a grin, dematerializing the TARDIS.

"What do you mean you don't deal in missing persons? But you are the Police." The Doctor questioned the albino servant receptionist sitting at the front desk of the Shadow Proclamation Headquarters.

"We only deal in galactic crime, Sir. Kidnapping is a domestic crime and out of our jurisdiction. Did you try going to the authorities on the planet where the kidnapping took place?" The servant calmly asked, irritating the Doctor even further with her lack of urgency.

"We don't know what planet they took our son from. I don't even think it was a planet. It could have been on the back of a flying turtle for all I know!" The Doctor yelled sarcastically. "All I know is that we were kidnapped on Earth first, then our son was taken sometime later from some other place." He tried to explain, slamming his hand on the counter.

"Did you go to the Earth Police?" The servant asked advancing the Doctor's anger to a whole new level.

River then moved the Doctor out of the way and began to shout at the servant herself. "Listen, you little twit. The Galactic Military and Church just kidnapped me and force me to watch them drag my new born child away. So, I suggest that you call the Shadow Architect or the next crime I commit will definitely be in your jurisdiction." She threatened making the servant slink further into her chair.

"There will be no need for that, Dr. Song." The Shadow Architect said behind them. The Doctor and River faced her, finally getting the attention that they desire.

The, tall, albino Architect lead the couple to her privet meeting chambers passing her highest level of security. The chamber was stark white and over-lit with a dome-like open concept. In the middle of the dome was her desk with a single computer and a massive viewing monitor that hung high behind it.

"We already know about your son and the crimes he has committed within the galactic law." The Architect explained activating a holographic version of the Son near her.

"Crimes?" The Doctor asked seeing his son no longer an innocent vulnerable new, loomborn, Time Lord, but a muscular, toned, and stone faced one. Although, the boy's eyes were still young it was clear that Kovarian's military influence had rubbed off on him.

"Where should I start, Doctor?" the Architect glared, showing him the list of charges and pulling them up onto the large viewing monitor. "Aggravated and physical assault. Arson and burglary on the 5th degree. Manufacturing and selling of an illegal drug and weaponry on the highest degree. Theft and property damage on the highest degree. Treason, kidnapping, and threatening of an official. Planet and ship invasion of the 5th degree, and piracy on the 3rd degree..."

"At least he hasn't killed anyone." The Doctor said trying to shed light on this terrible meeting.

"…and murder." The Architect finished. "This of course doesn't include the substantial number of articles that the Time Child has broken."

The Doctor put his hand on his face in disbelief. Even River was shocked that their son could achieve these crimes in such a short amount of time.

"The Son is also a minor with possible Stockholm syndrome." A woman defended in a navy-blue suit, walking into the chambers, pushing through security and any guards trying to stop her and protecting a large thick file of paperwork.

"I am guessing that you are here to represent the Son, Ms. Steel?" the Architect asked the woman waving her guards to stand down.

"We didn't ask for a lawyer and why did you call him The Son?" River asked.

"All minors under 18 years of age within their species are protected under the IUPG Law, innocent until proven guilty, and they are automatically assigned a lawyer after the first warrant. I've been your son's lawyer for months. Also, The Son is the name that the Church gave him." She told River with a friendly and unworried demeanor.

"What is your defense, Ms. Steel?" the Architect asked becoming impatient.

"All accusations have no physical evidence, no confessions, no weapons, no witnesses, just a bunch of bodies and ghost stories. It's all circumstantial." Ms. Steel defended crossing her arms, feeling pleased.

"Oh, but we do have tangible evidence, Ms. Steel." The Architect countered, surprising the young lawyer. "We have video evidence of the Son illegally boarding a Starliner called the Byzantium." She informed presenting the recording on the monitor.

On the video, the Son breaks through the ducting system and starts making his way through the ship. A few moments in, he comes across three security guards. He sneaks up behind the guards, unsheathing his combat knife and stabs the first guard in the back, killing him instantly. Before the other two guards could react, the Son takes the dead guard's pistol and shoots the second guard. Then used the body to body-slam the third guard against the wall, in which the Son fires three shots through the second guard's abdomen, fatally wounding the third guard.

As the Son was retrieving his knife from the guard's back, he noticed the security camera. He gave a disgusting glare and used a tool that made the familiar sound of a sonic screwdriver, taking out the camera's feed.

After the footage, the Architect turned to see Ms. Steel's reaction to the evidence. "Twenty minutes later the Starliner crashed onto the terraformed planet Alfava Metraxis." She added like salt in the wound.

Ms. Steel, shocked about the new evidence, glanced at River who pursed her lips hard, remembering the event. Ms. Steel swallowed nervously and ran her fingers through the thick file of paperwork. "That doesn't mean that he crashed it." She said failing to think of a safety net.

The Architect sighed in disappointment and turned her attention to the Doctor and River. "I'm not going to deny the pain and suffering you two are going through. No parent should go through the events that you have described to me. However, your son, young as he is, has clearly showed that he is of sound mind and is aware of what he is doing. We will help you locate and stop him but you must give me your word that, once caught, you will allow us to properly prosecute him and bring justice to the galactic order.

The Doctor stared at the holographic image of the Son, not wanting to agree to that proposal. He knew what justice meant to the Shadow Proclamation. It meant immediate execution. Deciding, he looked at the Architect but before he could protest River decided for him.

"You have our word." River said with no hesitation or remorse in her voice. The Doctor was taken back but he kept his composure solid and nodded to the Architect.

The Architect accepted the decision and dismissed the meeting. The Doctor, River and Ms. Steel joined together in the entrance corridor where the TARDIS stood waiting. Ms. Steel collected the new evidence from the receptionist and added it to that already over-stuffed file.

"Thank you for defending him." River said to her, clearly appreciating her efforts.

Ms. Steel smiled back, accepting the thank you. "You are most welcome, Dr. Song. And I am fully prepared to defend your son for as long as it takes, but for now all I can do is give you both my advice." She then looks around making sure no one was eavesdropping. "Find him first. Find him before they do, Doctor. You know his fate if you don't." The Doctor nodded in agreement, letting out the dread from his eyes.

Back in the TARDIS, River sat hard on a pilot seat, allowing her muscles to unknot and her breathing to return to normal. The Doctor also relaxed himself by standing at his favorite spot at the center console, turning dials and clicking switches.

"Why did you give the Architect our word?" the Doctor finally asked calmly, breaking the silence.

River let out a sigh knowing that that's not what the Doctor wanted. "What was I supposed to say, Doctor? You saw the recording and we both know what happened that day. We thought it was the Angel that crashed the ship but it was just another pawn in Kovarian's sick game."

The Doctor gave her a look. "What is her game, River? I need to know more about the Kovarian Chapter and you were part of it."

"I don't remember. She trained me to kill you but I don't even remember how or when. The Silents followed me everywhere." River replied.

"Well, maybe you should try harder!" the Doctor demanded, running out of ideas.

"Don't you yell at me, Doctor. You're the all mighty Time Lord in the TARDIS. Why don't you use her properly, the way she was built for and Google it!" River yelled back.

"Fine! Activate TARDIS interface!" he called out. The TARDIS immediately completed the order and a holographic image of the Doctor appeared. "Oh great, got to love the default face." He said sarcastically, wincing at the image. "Why can't you ever just give me hope?" He added swallowing his malcontent.

The TARDIS change the image once more but one that they didn't recognized. The image was a small boy with thick, wavy, light brown hair and freckled faced. He wore an over-sized orange hoodie with sandy colored cargo shorts.

"Well, that's new. Who is that supposed to be?" the Doctor asked perplexed.

"I am the TARDIS interface." The image of the boy said with a slight lisp.

"Yes, I know that, but with who's face?" he ordered, irritated.

"The Son." The image replied. River's eyes widened in surprised but the Doctor retained his hard composure.

"Well, you're rubbish at that. The Son has chestnut brown hair and is taller." The Doctor scalded the image. "Oh, and you forgot the blood on his hands." He added before turning away.

"Doctor!" River snapped a warning at him. She kneeled to the boy's level, examining his face and seeing his intense blue eyes. "TARDIS blue." She quickly turned towards her sulking husband. "It is him. Doctor, look at him!" the Doctor looked, giving River was she wanted. "You asked the TARDIS to give you hope and that's what she's giving. The TARDIS can see the past, present and future. Don't you see…" River pulled the Doctor closer to the boy. "our son, this version, is your hope."

The Doctor looked down at the boy and sighed in defeat, falling to his knees. "OK, what is the Kovarian Chapter?" the Doctor asked.

"The Kovarian Chapter is a faction of the Church of Silence. The Church created the chapter in the early 51st century for its special military and recruitment forces. Led by Madame Kovarian, the chapter is responsible for organizing and completing military and tactical missions given to them by the Church, recruitment and training of all new church members, and finalizing conversions of faith for the Church and its branches." The image replied and waited for another question.

"Who is The Son?" The Doctor asked fighting back tears as his hope was slipping.

"The Doctor's son." The image replied. The Doctor gave the boy a smile and asked another question, more personal.

"What is his favorite color?"

"Orange." Said the image.

"Yeah, I should have guessed from your hoodie. What is his favorite food?" Now seeing the boy as his son.

"Tea and apples."

"Apples are rubbish but tea is good." The Doctor laughed.

"Who is his hero?" River asked a riskier question to the boy.

"The Doctor." The image replied with a grin.

The Doctor sprung himself up with pride and full of hope. "I could have told you that." He told River, smiling.

"Yes, you could have, Sweetie." She nodded, smiling back, loving this kind of Doctor.

The Doctor turned back to the hologram boy. "You said that they use conversion of faith. What kind exactly?"

"Secondary conversion, conversion for convenience, deathbed conversion, marital conversion, and forced conversion." The boy replied, giving the Doctor exactly what he wanted.

"Perfect!" He shouted running up to River, grabbing her hand and kneeling in front of her. "River, will you marry me?" He asked her gently.

"We are already married, Sweetie." River said, flattered but not getting the point.

"Not according to the Church." He corrected her. River's face lit up understanding his plan. The Doctor saw this. "There, she gets it! Hey, what does the Son want to be when he grows up?" he quickly asked the TARDIS interface before it timed out.

"An Archaeologist." The image replied, then disappearing.

Shocked, the Doctor tried to protest but was interrupted by River. "I do." She whispered and kissed her Doctor passionately. She pushed him backward, hitting the center console. Without unlocking their embrace, the Doctor pulled the take-off lever making the TARDIS dematerialize into the time vortex.


	4. Recruitment

House of Silence Chapter 3: Recruitment

River danced gracefully around the center console of the TARDIS, making her pearl white, silk, evening gown twirl and move in rhythm with her humming and theatrical imitation. The Doctor, from a level down, glanced happily at her, feeling pleased with himself for another perfect adventure with his wife.

"Now that is what I call a honeymoon." River said reminiscing on the memory, seeing the Doctor at a make-shift work table. "And those floating beaches were amazing!" she walked down to the Doctor's level to see what he was doing. "Why didn't we do that the last time we got married?" she teased flirtatiously, rubbing his back with her finger tips and playing with his bowtie with the other hand.

"It was a busy day and you're distracting." He replied giving her a smile and tap on her nose. He then turned his attention back to the table and continued to work on a very small circuit chip in his hand.

Failing at her efforts, she peeked at the array of electrical parts, wires and voltmeters. "What are you working on?" she asked clearly interested in what made him so focused.

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the center console of the TARDIS, grabbing data from her main computer. He then scanned the small chip, sending the program.

"This is a perception filter chip from an old TARDIS key I had. But I had to reprogram it so we can appear human." He explained but stopped, seeing River giving him an insulted look. He quickly reworded his statement. "Less us, less face." He corrected, gesturing himself. "I got the idea from a vampiric fish." He remembered, giggling at himself, and returned to tweak the device.

River smiled at the Doctor and stepped aside to let him work. She loved watching him work and she couldn't help but daydream about the good times with him, making the worse seem to be all worth it. "Wont the Son see right through the perception filter because, you know, he's less human, more us?" River playfully mocked.

"Of course, he would. He's my son." He replied shocked that she didn't know that but quickly regained his thought process and finished the device. "That's why I put it on the highest setting. Not even I could see through it. Now, give me your wedding ring." He demanded clapping his hands together.

River hesitated, drawing her left hand to her chest and protecting the ring on her third finger. "But you just gave it to me." She protested not wanting to give it up.

"Don't worry, I'll give it back." The Doctor assured her, taking off his wedding ring and placing it on the table.

River looked down at her precious band. It was a simple golden hoop, like the Doctor's, but with a small white diamond. A straightforward design but elegant. She made a pouty face and reluctantly removed the ring from her finger, then gently sat it next to the Doctor's. She quickly turned away not wanting to see what the Doctor was going to do with it. She instead walked to the open doors of the TARDIS, which was orbiting a beautiful multi-colored nebula. 'He always knows the best spots in the universe.' She thought. Admiring the scenery, River felt the Doctor wrap his arms around her, lifting her left hand and slipping her wedding ring back onto her finger.

"You added gems." She said impressed, seeing the newly added rose-colored gems on each side of the diamond.

"Perception crystals. Reprogramed and active." He informed her and holding up a Victorian hand mirror to her face, allowing her to take hold of it.

What she saw was shocking and almost unreal. A whole different face. Brown eyes, long black hair, thinner cheeks and slightly darker skin. "It's like I feel the same but not." She described, touching her face, making sure that it was truly her. "Oh, but I love it!" She tilted the mirror slightly and saw a broad faced man with short bleached hair and rich green eyes.

Startled, she quickly turned around to face him but only saw the Doctor. Confused she looked back into the mirror and saw the same stranger. The man gave her a wink, lifted his left hand, and showcased a golden ring with two rose colored crystals.

"OK, that is a bit amazing." She said turning back around facing the Doctor. "Why is it that I can see the less human you without the mirror?" she poked fun.

"Because we're married!" He declared, poking back. "Also, the crystals are cut from the same stone." Giving River a simpler answer. "As long as we are wearing these rings no one will know who we are."

"Ok then. Let's go join the Military." River proclaimed, running up to the center console with enthusiasm and giving the Doctor a pin-up pose.

The Doctor peeks his head out of the TARDIS cautiously and fully disguised. Seeing that it was a utility closet, he let out a childish grin. "OK, we're in." he whispered behind himself. River then followed him also wearing the perception ring disguise. As she stepped out of the TARDIS she felt slightly light headed. A feeling that triggered hidden familiarities.

"Quick thing, the perception crystals need to be recharged every 24 hours. Just a quick pop into the TARDIS should do it. So, don't forget." The Doctor informed her, checking the charge levels of her ring with his sonic. "I'll have to leave my sonic here for now. River?" he asked noticing the distress in her face.

"I'm OK. Needs recharging, got it." She said quickly but couldn't hide the worry.

"Hey, we are going to get him back." He said, gently cupping his hand to her face giving her the strength to move forward. Seeing her bounce back, he went to the closet door, straightened his bowtie, and together they entered Sleepers Maw. The main recruitment center of the Kovarian Chapter.

Upon entering they were surrounded by thousands of newly converted members ready to serve the Church. There were humans and aliens alike, standing in ques, sitting in waiting areas, working at small desks, and preforming physical testing. The Doctor found a window and saw that they were on a gigantic controlled asteroid, and the base itself, a massive hexagon shaped dome, was nicely nestled within it.

The couple got ahold of their bearings and picked a que for registration. As they waited, River spotted someone that made her heart race. "Doctor, look." She said getting the Doctors attention and pointing out the Son.

The Son walked towards them, down the que, and for a brief moment made eye contact with his parents. They held their breath as he passed only to discover that he did not recognize them.

"He's older, Doctor." River stated noticing that the Son was now as tall as the Doctor and more toned than the hologram from the Shadow Proclamation.

"Time lines." The Doctor replied, noticing as well. "They're hard to keep track." The Doctor wasn't worried about the Son's age. He was still very young, in Time Lord years. However, Kovarian's corruption has clearly embed itself deep within him. Are they too late or just in time to see the breaking point? Suppressing a Time Lord has never ended well.

"Next!" called out a male uniformed church member, singling them to come over.

The Doctor leaned onto the table and greeted the member. "Hello. We are married." He told him, thinking that the information was a secret code for, 'we joined your religion.'

"That's nice. Names?" the member replied, not impressed.

"John and Mary Smith." River quickly responded, not letting the Doctor speak and throwing him a warning look.

"Species?" he asked writing down their names on a registration form.

"Human."

"Very good. Do you have your marital certificate?"

The Doctor smiled widely at the member, flattered that he remembered. He quickly rummaged through his inner coat pocket, finding the necessary paperwork.

The Church member took the certificate and stamped it with an official seal, checked a few boxes off on the registration form and had them both sign the bottom. "Welcome to the Church of Silence. Grab a basic training uniform and go change into them. The changing rooms are over to your left." He informed, pointing out the way. "Then make your way to the next station for unit placement. May God be with you. Also, congratulations on your marriage." The member finished making the Doctor give River a cheeky grin.

River rolled her eyes at him and playfully pushed him aside, grabbed them both a vacuum sealed uniform, and moved on.

River and the Doctor together passed all physical and psychological evaluations, along with a very tedious class about biblical teachings and expectations within the Church. Within a few hours of registering, they were accepted and ready for their basic training sessions.

"Did I ever mention that I'm a sucker for a man in uniform?" River flirtatiously asked the Doctor as she flipped through a random magazine she found in the waiting area where they sat.

"Only once, and I'm starting to see the appeal." He flirted back gazing at her uniform, which made her physique quite revealing. "Why is this so easy?" he asked, changing the subject and lifting himself up into a cargo storage container, getting a clearer view of all the people passing by. "I mean, this is the Galactic Army and they just seem to let anyone in."

"Because this is a religion. They want everyone to be a servant of God. To fight the good fight for the faith. Submit yourself to thy lord and one will resist the Devil, making him flee from you." River deviously stated, seeing the Doctor staring at her speechless and with concern. "I read the pamphlet." She added, ending her little mind game on him.

"Attention all recruits from unit 408B, report to station 86 for basic weaponry orientation." Announce the broadcast system throughout the center.

"That's us, Doctor. Let's go." River said jumping up with a sense of spirit and excitement.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" the Doctor pouted with less enthusiasm.

River laughed, pulling him down from the container. "It reminds me of my youth. Now, come on, we don't want to be late."

"Welcome new recruits to you first class of weaponry training. I am Lieutenant Dimms and I will be your training and briefing Bishop from now on." A woman introduced herself as she marched in front of the organized students and small worktables. She was a classic commander, 5'5'' with an elegant build. Her pale skin and peppered hair were polished and pulled back into a neat bun. Her face was soft, motherlike, but her sharp, grey, eyes gave her a strict overlook. There were around 30 recruits including River and the Doctor. They stood in line, backs straight, and intensely focused. Some eager to get started and some hiding their anxiety. "By the end of the day I will have you fully trained, equipped, and prepared for battle. However, before we start there are a few things I must touch on. First, if you suddenly feel sick or dizzy, don't worry it will pass. It's just the Silents doing their job. Second, if any of your equipment is damaged or have any questions about your equipment you must talk to The Son who is usually at his workshop in the center of the facility. Oh, and here he is, just in time." She noticed as he walked in the station and positioned himself in front of the class.

Crossing his arms, he gazed at the class like a statue waiting for a command. He wore a plated space suit that was smoky black, light, and so sleek you can see the tone of his muscular figure, making him look more like an assassin rather than an over padded foot soldier.

"Class, this is The Son. He is the Prophet of our Shadow Prime Unit. He oversees and executes our most sensitive missions. He is here to pick some new Clerics for his unit, and to demonstrate how to assemble you first weapon." Lt. Dimms told the class and assigned a few recruits to pass out trays of a disassembled M9 Energy Pistol in front of every student. "Do you have any questions before we start?"

A member raised his hand. "Yes? State you name and then ask your question." Lt Dimms called out to the young man.

"Scott Miller. What happened to his old Clerics?" he asked, clearly intimidated by the Son and trying not to make eye contact with him.

"KIA" The Son replied quickly with no emotion. "They couldn't run fast enough."

Another recruit raised her hand and Lt. Dimms nodded towards her, giving her permission. "Patty Wales. How does one get into your unit?" She asked the Son.

"Assemble your gun." The Son answered in the same cold tone.

"Is that it? Must be desperate." Another recruit chuckled making others join in.

The Son glared at the laughing recruit and walked up his tray of gun parts. Within 2 seconds the Son reassembled the broken-down pistol and pointed the fully loaded weapon at the recruit's forehead. Turning his mocking laughter into intangible fear.

"As fast as me." The Son added with an unprincipled grin. As the recruit trembled, the Son dug the barrel of the pistol into his forehead, seemingly enjoying the man's misery.

Seeing no backing down, the Doctor nearly blew is cover, but stopped himself after Lt. Dimms commanded, "That's enough, Son!"

The impact of those words deflated the Son's madness enough that he pulled the pistol away. Keeping his overpowering eyes on the recruit, he disassembled the gun just as fast as he put it together, and dropped the pieces carelessly onto the table. He then removed himself from the class.

Lt. Dimms shook her head in disappointment as the Son left the station, but returned her attention to the recruits. "Once you've assembled your gun, it is yours. Every training session, if completed, you will get a piece of equipment that feeds into your strengths. So, let's get started! As fast as you can. In 3…"

The Doctor and River looked at each other. "Can you?" he whispered quickly.

"2" Lt. Dimms continued to count.

"Yes, can you?" she replied, lifting her hands at a ready position.

"1"

"I hope so." He looked down at the pulled apart pistol.

"GO!" Lt. Dimms shouted and the recruits started franticly assembling the simple energy pistol. However, they were quickly interrupted 2 seconds later. "STOP!" She ordered seeing that 3 people were already done.

Lt. Dimms walked up to the first finished recruit. "Name?" she asked, examining the pistol.

"Sarah Nova." The young female recruit replied, looking quite confident. She stood a few inches shorter than River with long auburn brown hair that was placed into a pony-tail and baby blue eyes.

"Very good, Ms. Nova. You may go to the next station." Lt. Dimms told her and hands her the pistol, then walked to the Doctor and River. She looked at them both and smiled proudly. "Names?"

"John Smith." Said the Doctor.

"Mary Smith." River followed.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Please follow Ms. Nova to the next station." She turned to the rest of the class with less fulfillment. "As for the rest of you, break down you weapon and start again!"

After completing all the training and now fully equipped, the Doctor, River and Sarah Nova followed Lt. Dimms to the Son's workshop. No longer wearing a basic training uniform, they now wore a sleek black armored space suits like the Son's, with a fully stocked utilitarian belt and a unique air purification collar. As they approached the workshop the Son took notice and slipped his headphones off his ears, giving Lt. Dimms his full attention.

"These three are your new Clerics. They have passed your tests and are ready for duty. You can give them new sacred names, but I know you won't." She told him and started to hand him their report file, but hesitated and warned, "Try not to get them killed, Son."

Without emotion but understanding her warnings, he placed the headphones back into their proper position, turned his back and started reading the file.

"Is he always this intense?" Sarah asked not sure how to read her new commander.

"Oh, believe me, that is his happy face. I'm sure he will be impressed by your files. Especially yours Mr. Smith. Your intelligence matches his. However, he's not one to play nice on the playground. So, I suggest that you make friends with him. Get him to trust you. And Good Luck." She made her farewell and dismissed them for the day.

River pulled the Doctor aside leaving Sarah at the workshop, making sure that they were away from any ears. "Why are we going this far? Why can't we just grab him and go?" River asked feeling concerned and protective.

"If we just throw him into the Tardis as he is now, he might overpower us. And then what? The Tardis won't be able to defend herself. He will find his way back to Kovarian and then she'll have a Tardis to her disposal," The Doctor explained, glancing back, seeing Sarah already trying to make friends.

Sarah watched the Son as he read the paperwork, while he pored a cup of tea and added 4 tablespoons of sugar.

"Do you want some tea with that sugar?" She poked fun, getting his attention.

"Sarah Nova, right?" he asked as he took a sip of his tea.

"That's right." She replied with a grin, she then quickly took her ear piece and tossed it to him. Catching the device, he gave her a confused look. "It has a blip." She explained.

"A blip?" he asked wanting more information.

"Yep." She answered flirtatiously, sticking to her vague clarification.

As he inspected the ear piece, he noticed River, who had her back towards him. "Hey, you!" he called out, then started to quickly walk towards her.

"Lt. Dimms is right, we have to get him to trust us. We have to be patient." The Doctor consoled, but suddenly became extremely worried seeing the Son coming towards them, looking vexed.

The Son grabbed River, turning her to face him. She stood there speechless and in shock as he examined her. Finding the problem, he pulled out a sonic screwdriver from his belt pocket and detached a small air filter unit from her collar.

"Your air filter is damaged. Come with me." He told her. "And you. I want to check yours as well." He pointed to the Doctor.

They both took a breath of relief and followed the Son back to the workshop.

"Hello again, Sarah." River greeted, not liking the girl or the way she looks at her son.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I'm surprised that you two aren't in a closet somewhere snogging." She mocked, making River clench her jaw and stopping herself from slapping her.

The Son went to the Doctor and detached his air filter with his sonic. The Doctor was surprised to see the device and how easily the Son knew how to use it.

"What is that?" Sarah asked pointing at the sonic as the Son scanned the air filter.

"A sonic screwdriver." The Son answered as he worked, but ignoring her physically.

"Where did you get it?" questioned the Doctor, curious about the Time Lord device.

"A place called Nunya."

"Nunya?"

"Nunya business." The Son finally answered looking up at the Doctor, getting the air filter apart with a good amount of force.

Sarah chuckled at the burn joke and continued to look at the strange devices and gadgets on the worktable. River cleared her throat and changed the subject. "How damaged is it?" she asked seeing if she can get a conversation going.

"Damaged enough for me to see it 20 yards away." He vaguely replied, plugging the air units into a small computer. "Hey, don't touch that!" he yelled at Sarah, who was about to pick up a strange metal egg.

"What is it?" Sarah asked, pulling her hand away, fearing that she almost picked up something deadly.

Suddenly the oval object mechanically transformed into a small metal, spider-like, robot. The robot had four flexible, unsegmented, legs and a bright red reticle eye in the middle of its clam-like body. The Doctor recognized it immediately having encountered those tiny robots before.

"It's for a client." The Son warned as the robot made a metallic hiss at Sarah, making her jump. "The air unit will need a few minutes to calibrate. In the meantime, I'll fix your blip." He mocked, hoping that will deter the annoyance of his new Clerics. However, Sarah pressed on.

"Is the box of apples for a client as well?" she mocked back, seeing the large crate of alluring apples standing out from the other metal storage containers around his messing workshop.

"I like apples." He answered showing a cold shoulder, clearly telling her that he is not interested, and continued to tweak the ear piece.

Sarah dialed up the pressure. "Sure, you do. Aww, look. He puts faces on them." She teased further, tossing a smiley faced apple to River. "Cute apples and over sugared tea. How old are you? 8?" Her taunting finally reached a reaction from her stubborn commander. With a stern expression, the Son walked up close to Sarah, making her think she went too far. However, the Son, unexpectedly, gently placed her ear piece back into her right ear.

"Goodness, are you go to ask me stupid questions all day?" he asked her, giving her a snide grin.

"Does thy Prophet no longer teach his disciples?" She flirted, mimicking his grin.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what, Prophet?" still playing her succubus role.

"It's fixed." The Son turned away from her, not buying into her roleplay and returning to his computer. "Unfortunately, your filter chip is fried and needs more work. I should have it fixed before our first mission tomorrow." He told River and reattached the Doctor's filter back onto his suit. "Your is fine."

"Mission? What Mission?" Sarah franticly asked not understanding how she could have missed any meetings.

The Son ignored her question and turned his attention to an approaching church member. "Son, Lady Cassandra O'Brien is here and ready for your presentation on the requested prototype." The member announced. The Son nodded at the member, quickly tapped the spider robot, transforming it back into an egg, grabbing it, and then followed the messenger away from the group.

"Wait! Aren't you going to brief us about the mission?" Sarah call out, worried that she missed something.

The Son looked back, giving her a playful smile and childishly shook his head as he walked away, disappearing in the crowd of people.

"Genius, inventor, and a willful fox." She joked, but suddenly felt the glares from River and the Doctor behind her. She turned her joking towards them. "Oh, don't be such stiffs. Besides, I think our relationship is off to a great start. Smell you later!" She waved, as she also walked away from the couple.

River kept her glare on the girl until she was out of sight. She wasn't sure about Sarah, something was off about her and that made her anxious.

"Don't worry, dear. I'm sure you will get a chance to slap her tomorrow." The Doctor said making River break out of her stance and relax.

She looked down at the happy faced apple that Sarah tossed to her. "Amy use to put faces on her apples. How does Son know how to do that?" she asked the Doctor, keeping her eyes on the crimson fruit.

"Amy's hair. Without proper memory records, the Loom probably didn't know what to do with that information, so it just wove the knowledge into him. Making it an instinct. He probably doesn't even know he's doing it." He theorized, checking his perception ring.

"Does that apply to all memories?" River hesitated to ask, feeling the growing concern in her heart.

"I wouldn't worry about that now. We need to get back to the TARDIS." He warned and encouraged her to hurry as they rushed back to the TARDIS.

"OK, we made it just in time." The Doctor announced jumping out of the TARDIS, playing and twirling his sonic screwdriver between his fingers.

"I can see you missed your sonic." River observed and laid down comfortably on a large king size bed. "I didn't know they gave married members their own private sleeping quarters." She said looking around the room. The area was like a luxury hotel, complete with a sitting area, a kitchen, and a full bath. All fully stocked for everyday living. The style was minimal and modern with a healthy combination of whites and greys. "The walls are even sound proof." She noted, suddenly became infatuated. "Did you plan this in hopes of other expectations, Doctor?" She asked, putting herself in a more flattering position.

The Doctor took her bait and laid down next to her. "Well, it's better than snogging in a closet."

"Oh, but where's the risk in that?" She laughed, reeling him in closer for a kiss.

"You should get some sleep. Big mission day tomorrow!" He exclaimed, separating himself from her and jumping off the bed.

"And you don't?" River protested, feeling rejected.

"I need to increase the charge time on our rings. I have a feeling that we are going to need the extra time." He replied, popping back in the TARDIS. "It won't take long!"

River accepted the excuse and rolled her eyes, "You're always working on something." She said before yawning. She made herself more comfortable and quickly drifted off to sleep.

In the TARDIS, the Doctor set up the rings in a holding tube and started to laser fuse an extra crystal onto them. While waiting, he couldn't help but become curious about the Son. 'So that's how Cassandra got those troublesome robots.' He thought as he remembered that far away day on Platform One. And the sonic screwdriver was not what the Doctor excepted. "How did he get one? Who gave him one?" he asked himself with concern. "He couldn't have built one himself. Could he? That's pretty advanced, even for an adult Time Lord." The Doctor took a deep sigh of defeat. He wasn't going to get any answers in here. "River's asleep, perception rings still fusing. What's the risk, eh?" Deciding, he took his sonic, and left his wedding ring and his wife behind.

With only his sonic screwdriver and his Shadow Prime suit for a disguise, the Doctor strolled down the empty corridor comfortably. Only tensing his body for a moment as he passed a few late-night members, who didn't recognize him or acknowledged him at all.

Finally, he made his way to the last door to the main center. He used his sonic to easily opened it and cautiously entered. The Center was completely devoid of life, making the dome look more massive than before. Through dim lights and in silence, the Doctor started to make his way to the center of the dome where the Son's workshop sat. As he walked, he reviewed the Son's behavior, trying to calculate when in his life they were in. When he was woven, Kovarian didn't have control over the Silents and he is slightly older than the Byzantium footage from the Shadow Proclamation. Also, his sudden outbursts are consistent of an adolescent teen Time Lord. However, it seems that his son can manipulate time somehow, which makes calculating even more difficult. The Doctor needs another aspect of his time line to complete the equation.

The Doctor finally reached the Son's workshop and immediately found the young Time Lord's sonic screwdriver resting on the worktable, along with a cup of tea and a half-eaten apple. The Doctor smiled at the display but regained his focus and started to examine the unique sonic.

The device was short and broad, with a white handle and a copper-based head and footing. The top was flat with changeable relay filters and a small read out screen. The sides were presented with mechanical dials for different settings and strengths for sonic pulses, also the sonic push button was uncommon, it flipped up revealing a sensitive doppler setting. The Doctor was impressed, clearly proud of his son's work with it. He was also quite jealous. After scanning it with his own sonic, the Doctor read its crystalline emitter and got an answer that he was not expecting. "It's based off mine?" he whispered to himself. However, his confusion was turned into concern as he quickly noticed steam in the corner of his eye. The tea was still hot.

Hearing walking and humming, the Doctor quickly ducked behind the worktable and sat against the crate of apples. The Son, with his headphones on his ears and his eyes on some paperwork, didn't noticed the Doctor hiding three feet from him. His humming turned into mimic singing and started bobbing to the beat of the music. However, he instantly knew something was missing. He slipped off his headphones and started searching the area, becoming suspicious.

'No.' the Doctor thought has he looked at the missing sonic in his hand. He then decided to attempt a risky move. Timing the Son's head and body movements, the Doctor, with Time Lord speed and accuracy, gently placed the sonic back onto the table where he found it. Unfortunately, at the same moment, a loud cling sound of metal rang throughout the center, putting the Son on high alert and drawing his weapon.

The Son made his way slowly around the worktable towards where the Doctor was hiding. Nowhere to go, the Doctor accepted that he was going to be caught, but at the very last moment he was saved when the Son said, "Melody?"

The Doctor mouthed, "Melody," to himself in disbelief. He peeked around the crate and saw a little 7-year-old girl standing there, holding a bright red book. The girl wore grey and maroon corduroy overalls with an oversized navy-blue sweater underneath it. She had long, messy, light brown hair that was held back by a white head band. The Doctor could clearly see the combinations of Rory William's facial structure and Amy Pond's wide, Scottish, green eyes within her face. The girl was truly, the missing, Melody Pond.

"Melody, what are you doing here?" the Son asked her, sternly and holstered his weapon.

"You didn't come home." She replied making herself just as serious, but the Son became more severe with her and walked up to her, grabbing her arm tightly.

"Why does that matter? I told you to stay in your room!" he yelled at her, gesturing to the ground in an angry manner.

"I don't want to be in my room!" She yelled back, unbending her stance towards him.

"Then you go to my room! But whatever you do, you do not leave the orphanage. If you leave, the perception bubble that I put around it will no longer hide you. Do you want the Devil to find you?" he angrily questioned her, not letting go of her arm as she tried to pull away.

"You promised!" she shouted.

"Do you want the him to take you away?" the Son continued, ignoring her last statement.

"NO!"

"Then why do you taunt him?"

"I'm not afraid of the Doctor, Sonny!" she answered, finally getting free from his grip. "And even if he comes and takes me away, at least I'll be away from that old, stinky, building. And the Silents, who make me sick. If you were around you would see that." She scolded him, becoming as cross as he was.

"I'm working, Melody." He said still sternly but backing down.

"Yeah, you're always working, you're always breaking promises, and you're always lying!" She stated turning away from him. "You're just like him now. Just like the Doctor, just like the Devil."

The Doctor's hearts sunk into his stomach, making his guilt overpower him, but he wasn't the only one. The Son, too, felt the sting of those words and his face softened into culpability.

"Is that what you think of me?" he asked in shock. "Do you think I like being here?" Melody stood her ground and gave no answer, making the Son finally see his wrong doing. "I'm sorry." He finally said to her, gently and sincere. "I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry that I'm gone all the time. I'm sorry I can't keep promises and I'm sorry that you have to live like me." the Son fell to his knees and lowered his head in sorrow.

Melody turned to face him. "Can't we just leave?" she asked. The Son sighed, shaking his head and leaning back into a rest position. He knew where this was going. "Can't we go to the place in this book?" She asked, holding the bright red book towards him. "Where the red grass fields meet the snowcapped mountains. And the forests of silver trees, and the glass covered cities." She described, falling into a daydream of wonder.

The Doctor also felt tranced in her description of her vision. Reminding him of his home planet, Gallifrey.

"Melody, that planet is a myth and that's just a book." He told her, lifting himself off the ground and walking back you the worktable.

"Yeah, a book only you can read." She pouted. "Which, by the way, you promised that you would teach me how to read it." She added, turning away, sulking.

"Yeah, I did." The Son agreed softly, raising his sonic into the air and activating it. Suddenly, the dome opened, transforming its exterior into crystal clear glass and allowing the brilliance of space to shine through.

Melody gazed up in amazement at the thousands of stars above them. "Wow. I didn't know this place could do that."

"Yeah, it was an observatory before…" he stopped in mid-sentence giving a hint that it wasn't a good day.

"Before what?" Melody asked glaring at him.

"That doesn't matter." He quickly replied, picking her up and placing her two feet to the right. "Now, stand right there."

"What for?" she asked confused.

"For your first flying lesson." He announced, pointing the sonic at her feet.

"My what?" Melody suddenly was lifted off the ground, almost losing her balance while on the nearly transparent hoverboard. "Sonny!" she shouted for help.

The Son laughed. "What? I did promise. Just relax and stand up." She gained the courage and did what she was told. "OK good. Here we go." He said and gently pushed the board, making Melody glide in mid-air.

"Wait, Sonny! What do I do?" she started to panic.

"Just relax and let your body move it." he assured her. "Good! See you are doing it." And she was, turning the board to the left and to the right, looping back towards the center of the dome. "You're a natural. A little faster now."

She became confident and leaned forward, making the board move faster. However, she leaned too far and she fell forward off the board completely. "Sonny!" she screamed in fear.

Before she fell to the hard floor, the Son caught her. He smiled down at her. "Why do you always give it too much?"

"Shut up." She laughed, pushed him as he let her down to her feet.

"Come on, one story, but I get to pick the book this time." The Son told her, collected his sonic screwdriver and headed away from the workshop.

"Fine. But I'm going to get an apple." She then ran to the crate of apples behind the worktable, but she got startled by the Doctor sitting against it.

The Doctor was a bit shocked but amazed to see her. Melody Pond, the girl who was stolen. The Doctor gave her a smile and made a shush gesture, then tossed an apple at her. Catching the apple, she looked down at it and saw a smiley face carved into it. Melody smiled and looked back up to the stranger but he was no longer there. The Doctor had vanished.

"Come on, Melody!" The Son called out from afar.

"Coming." She called back, and took one final look before leaving with the Son. Back to the Orphanage.

The Doctor waited on the floor for them to be fully out of sight. "OK. Before the Silents, after the Byzantium, after 51st century, 7 years after Demon's Run and before the astronaut suit. So, 52nd century," he continued, calculating quickly in his head, slightly counting with his fingers. "Mid-teens? Yes, no. Younger. No wonder he's stubborn." He concluded, relieved to see that his son was still such a child inside. The Doctor chuckled, but soon realized that he needed to get back to his wife before she wakes. Becoming fearful of his cross wife, he rushes back to the TARDIS.


	5. Stowaway

House of Silence Chapter 4: Stowaway

Sarah tapped her foot impatiently. She was in full gear, eager, and ready to start the day. However, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. "Damnit. I get summoned to the launch bay and there's no one here." She said to herself, looking around the platform for her unit or anything she recognized.

The launch bay was a massive triangular area and hundreds of feet long. Each point of the bay was a launch platform, with airlock sealed doors every 50 feet, for loading the parked ships and maintenance services. There weren't many people using the bay today. A few large cargo ships, a Starliner far in the back and a small, blue, Space Cruiser. The only clue she had was a pile of large storage containers with the Church logo and a crate of, crisp, red apples. All this, sitting next to the 300-square foot cruiser. "This has to be it, but how can this tiny cruiser be the Church's finest Space Fighter? It looks like a junk heap." She looked in disgust at the ship and became fed up with this game. As she turned to leave, she finally saw her Cleric mates with their Bishop. "John, Mary, Lt. Dimms, thank God. I thought I got the wrong platform." She said breathing easier now that her team is here.

"Ms. Nova, why haven't you loaded the equipment yet?" Lt. Dimms asked looking concerned and confused on why nothing was done. Sarah looked just as confused as she was, looking back at the tiny cruiser and pile of containers. Lt. Dimms made the connection and dreadfully asked, "Where is the Son?"

"Look out!" River shouted, tackling Sarah to the ground and barely missing a hoverboard zooming overhead; piloted by their mischievous commander.

The Son chuckled at his team and leaned lower making the board hit greater speed, barrel rolling and becoming cocky. He looped back towards his Clerics once again, dodging and zipping around shipment containers and positioning himself directly in the path of his crew. He then made the board go max speed, breaking the sound barrier inside the bay. The cracking sound made his Clerics start to back up in fear of the mach1 Time Lord coming straight at them.

Lt. Dimms stood in front of them, crossing her arms and standing her ground. Almost daring the Son to follow through on his little stunt. Suddenly, a large amount of air and energy hit the group, jolting storage boxes and making his team brace for impacted.

As the dust and debris settled, River, Sarah, and the Doctor lowered their defense and looked up in astonishment at the Son hovering above them. Lt. Dimms glared at him, like a cross mother to her misbehaved child. "You're late." She said sternly.

The Son shrugged his shoulders, continuing his childish attitude towards his team and the Lieutenant. He jumped off the hoverboard and used his sonic to compress it into a small flat 2x2 white card and placed it in his belt. He then turned his sonic towards the air lock doors leading to the blue space cruiser. "We leave in 5 minutes." He told his crew and entered the cruiser, ignoring their concerns and Lt. Dimms.

Lt. Dimms sighed in disappointment but decided that it's in their best interest to move forward. "Ms. Nova, you're in charge of loading the ship." She commanded before handing Sarah an information hand comp. All three Clerics gave her a look wanting to ask why their Prophet was acting in such a strange manner. "I will deal with him in a moment, for now please just load the ship." Lt. Dimms assured and shot a look of authority back at them.

Sarah quickly reacted with a salute. "Yes, Ma'am." She turned to the containers in question and then looked at the small ship. They will go through the door easily but she was having a tough time picturing the interior of how even one box would sit comfortably inside. Determined, she grabbed the hand comp and went to the ship to assess the space, passing the Son on the way.

The Son walked up to River and started to attach her newly fixed air filter unit. "Good morning, Son." She greeted kindly.

"You need to call me Prophet, understand?" he told her, not accepting the greeting. River's heart sank with hurt and rejection, but understood his implication. He is her Prophet and she is his Cleric. He has no idea who she really is. "Yes, Prophet. It won't happen again."

Suddenly, the group heard a horrific scream from the ship and Sarah stumbling backwards out of the air lock doors. "It's…it's…big." She stumbled on her words in shock, pointing cowardly towards the cruiser. "It's bigger in…it." she tried to explain.

"Ms. Nova, get ahold of yourself." Lt. Dimms demanded, shocked to see the girl's behavior.

Coming back down from her panic, Sarah found her words, "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry." She said taking a breath.

"Mrs. Smith, help Ms. Nova, please." Lt. Dimms ordered in dismay, still seeing the discomfort in Sarah's face.

"Yes, Bishop." River smiled in delight before feeling a sudden rush of fresh cool air reaching her lungs.

"OK. Breath in for me." The Son asked. River did what she was told. "Now breath out." The Son's eyes peered into River's. The same intense Tardis blue eyes she saw the moment he was born and on the interface image. Giving her the hope she needed. "Good, how does that feel?" he asked, softening his face.

"Better, thank you." She replied calmly and content, seeing the Son giving her an encouraging smile.

The Son stepped aside, allowing her to follow Sarah into his ship. He turned around, amused by Sarah's reaction, only to suddenly stop in his tracks, nearly walking into Lt. Dimms. She, again, looked sternly at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What? It's funnier when their minds are blown." He exclaimed, countering the sting of her look.

"Sweetie!" River called out from the cruiser. "You have got to see this!"

The Doctor gave a confused look to Lt. Dimms and the young Time Lord, who chuckled loving every moment of this situation. Without an answer, the Doctor followed his wife's voice.

The Doctor stepped into the Space Cruiser and his mind was, indeed, blown away. It was bigger on the inside. Of course, this concept wasn't new to the Doctor but being the one on the other side was. And he never felt prouder of his son than now. The Doctor stood comfortably in a large open room with evaluation screens and main computer equipment for briefing. To the left was the front of the ship, where the piloting controls were, along with seats for the passengers. To the right was three main hallways going even further into the vessel. The style was random, wonderful use of old and new, earthen and alien technology, reflecting his own style alongside The Son's stubbornness and childish personality.

"My clever boy." The Doctor said to himself looking at the UI systems for communications, observation, and celestial status. Along with the ships subsystems, guidance and navigation, command and power status, and the exterior and interior data of the structure.

"Amazing, right John?" Sarah belled from behind him, wheeling in the crate of apples.

"Brilliant." Is all at the Doctor could say, while still in a daze from his proud parenthood moment.

Sarah put the crate near the third hallway and pulled the two-wheeler from underneath it. "Where to put this one? I guess this place will have to do. Hey Mary, did you stock the bedrooms?" she called out.

"Yep, all set." River announced, walking back from the left hallway. She leaned up against the door frame and winked at the Doctor, showing her approval of their son's space ship. The Doctor smiled widely, looking up and all around the ship, fully agreeing with her.

"Shadow Unit, line up!" ordered Lt. Dimms from outside the cruiser. The three did what they were told and lined themselves up in front of their Bishop and their Prophet.

The Son, arms crossed and stone faced, gazed at his team, while Lt. Dimms with a motherly expression walk up closer to them. "On the behalf of the Church and the Kovarian Chapter I present and give the badge of our highest squadron, the Shadow Prime Unit." She then approached Sarah. She pinned a silver metal badge to the right of her collar. The badge was a circular design with a hexagon boarder and a slit down the middle. "Sarah Nova, my advice to you is to stay true to your team and they will protect you. May God be with you."

"I won't let you down, Bishop." Sarah replied with all confidence and eagerness.

Lt. Dimms nodded and walked to River, presenting and placing her new badge on her collar. "Mary Smith, my advice to you is that acceptance and understanding will provide you a peace of mind. May God be with you." River smiled at Lt. Dimms, thanking her for her kind words of encouragement. She then went to the Doctor. "Ah my favorite student."

The Doctor laughed. "Am I really?" he asked, as she pinned the badge onto his suit.

"Oh yes. You remind me of someone dearest to me." She replied, grinning and slightly looking behind her shoulder. "Goodness, what advice should I give you?" she thought for a moment, "Bravery and ambitions are easy, it's patience and tolerance that's hard. Keep your team brave and they will keep you calm. And may God be with you."

The Doctor froze, not knowing what to say. Her advice dug deep into him as if she could see his true flaws. "I will try." He assured her with sincerity.

"Good." She smiled at him and turned to the Son. The Son already had his badge but that didn't stop Lt. Dimms from maternally straightening it and adjusting his collar. "Son, I know this day is hard for you, but you have three Clerics to command and a mission to focus on. You know what will happen if you fail." She warned. The Son took a breath and looked down at Lt. Dimms with sad and sorry eyes, apologizing for his rude behavior. She accepted his gesture and placed a small box in his hand. It was wrapped in silver wrapping paper with a blue bow on top. "May God be with you, and may your feet bring you home."

"You always say that." He said, accepting the gift but returning to his stubborn ways.

"And you always come home." She replied, cupping her hand to his face giving him her final farewell.

River's emotions ran high seeing them react to each other. She looked away, forcing her sadness and jealousy to stay hidden and unseen. But that didn't work on her husband. The Doctor saw the hurt and couldn't help but feel the envy himself. However, it did show him that his son was loved in this harsh world.

The Son turned and joined his team in line for the final take-off salute. "Shadow Prime Unit, I hereby grant you permission to board your ship and fulfill your duties for the cause. Fight well and the Church will pray for your safe return." Lt. Dimms told them, returning the salute to the team. The Shadow Prime Unit then entered the blue Space Cruiser and prepared for launch.

After everyone had entered the vessel, the Son shut the main bay door and dead locked it. "Take a seat and buckle up." He ordered his team, while doing the task himself. "All systems on." He informed, clicking switches, and lighting up the center console and vision scanner. "Interface, status report."

"All systems are go. However, engine one has a hairline fracture." A female interface voice informed.

"What's the hydrogen level of engine one?"

"99.99999..." the interface continued the excessive counting.

"Yes, ok. Thank you, interface." He said, turning it off in annoyance.

"Is that safe?" River asked, concerned about a damaged hydrogen engine.

"Meh, it's 50/50." The Son replied not helping her nervousness. "Releasing clamps in 3,2,1." The Son pulled a yellow lever on the center console and the ship released itself from the bay. He then took ahold of an old car, woodgrain, steering wheel and gently moved the ship to the side, away from Sleepers Maw. As they got further from the base, he then pushed the wheel forward, launching the ship into outer space.

"What's the present for?" Sarah asked, noticing the small silver gift on the console.

"It's my birthday." The Son replied in a cold tone. He took his frustration out towards the question and engaged warp drive early and without warning. Making his passengers jerk back into their seats in shock.

A few minutes later, the ship stabilized, ending the space jump. "Welcome to Galactic Zone 18 in the Tadpole Galaxy." The Son informed, unbuckling his seat restraints and leaping out of his pilot chair. "You're free to move about the cabin." His crew did so as they watched him hop to an evaluation computer and began to read status reports, completely ignoring them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sarah asked her Prophet, breaking the silence on behalf of the others.

"As long as it's not a stupid one." He warned, not wanting to play mind games today.

Heeding his warning, she thought about it for a moment but decided to ask anyway. "Is Lt. Dimms your mother?" The Son lowered his head in dismay. "Because the way she talks to you, like "play nice to the other children and eat your vegetables." And she gave you a birthday present. Speaking of, are you going to open it? I would love to see what the Prophet got for his birthday. Also, are you ever going to tell us what the hell we're doing." She finished, becoming angry and hated being ignored. Even the Doctor and River wanted answers, as they too were uncomfortable with the lack of knowledge on this mission from their young son.

"Yes." The Son answered giving them his full attention. Seeing his team slightly confused on which question he answered, he decided to elaborate. "I probably should brief you." He added, using his sonic on the main screen, bring up a beautiful image of an emerald green planet. "This is Loppe. It's a mid-size, one star, one moon planet. Stable distance from their sun, stable climate with stable gravity. A Goldilocks fantasy world. The locals are called Ukujaru, they are pretty stable as well for a level 5 planet with a population of…wow…9 billion!" he exclaimed looking surprised. "They must be human-rabbits." He jested, he then used his sonic again, pulling up a diagram image of a Ukujaru. The creature was a yeti-like ape humanoid with white fur and sharp lower fangs. "Monkeys." He corrected, looking at his Clerics, examining their features. "Close enough." He joked. "The only thing that's not stable is the air. It's thin making the fauna and flora massive and awesomely dangerous. That's why I made those air purification collars. Without them you would suffocate slowly."

"So, what's the mission?" Sarah asked wanting him to get to the point.

"The monkey people need to be removed." The Son answered without shame.

"What do you mean removed?" asked the Doctor, hoping it's not what he thinks it is.

"The planet was recently bought by the StarCoin Company. They have hired us to get it ready for terraforming." The Son then presented a fist-size glistening black sphere. "This is a Terrabomb. Like a terraforming globe that terraforms a dead planet slowly, I reprogramed it to obliterate all life from a planet quickly. I wanted to call it the World Burner but there was a flame thrower already named that." The Son explained, feeling slightly disappointed at the shocked faces of his team.

"Are you saying that we are going to kill 9 billion people?" The Doctor asked and couldn't believe that his son made such a catastrophic weapon.

"No of course not. What good would that do for the Church? We are going to try to convert them first." The Son gave the Doctor his hand comp, allowing him to read the conversion treaty.

The Doctor read the contract quickly becoming angry about the whole situation. "This is a force conversion." The Doctor said looking at him, and becoming more cross as his son smiled devilishly.

"That's right. If the Ukujaru don't convert, they burn." River and Sarah became horrified, hearing the Son's lack of shame and remorse in his voice. "However, I personally would rather get on Mother's good side this week, so we are going to try to get them to agree to the contract. The problem is that these people have been invaded before. Twice even, and won. They are paranoid and very hostile towards foreigners. So, the plan is that I'll send them a greeting message with the contract and once we enter their atmosphere they will contact us. And then it's their choice. If they comply, they will be transported via trasmat to a faith concentration planet, where they will be fully converted. If they don't, well, monkey barbecue." He snickered at the thought.

The Doctor, forgetting his place, slipped his cover. "You are talking about risking billions of innocent lives and killing a healthy, beautiful, planet. I won't…"

"You won't what, Cleric?" The Son interrupted. The Doctor froze, realizing what he has done. "Are you disobeying me?" He asked getting right up to the Doctor's face. "Because if you are that's treason against the Church and I have no tolerance for that. Question me again, John Smith, and I will forget about the conversion treaty and drop the Terrabomb without warning with you attached to it. Either way, mission complete."

The Doctor bit his tongue hard. He no longer saw the Son as his child and wanted to show him what the real devil won't let pass. However, River made a bold move. She placed herself between the two Time Lords and pleaded to the Son in silence.

"Saved by your wife. Pathetic." He said, making the Doctor tremble in fury. "We have three hours before we enter Loppe's solar system and make contact. So, prepare yourselves and no more insubordinations from any of you!" he threatened, looking at all of them. Making it clear that he will no longer condone even Sarah's excessive joking. Suddenly, like clock-work, a slight ding rang from the kitchen part of the ship. "Oh, tea is done." He said, turning to leave.

"Hey." Sarah belled getting his attention once again, but before he could get angry at her, she tossed the silver and blue birthday gift. "Happy Birthday, Prophet." The Son lightened his face and calmly left, leaving his team behind, allowing them to breath.

"What part of 'make friends with him' did you not understand, John?" Sarah questioned and taking her frustration out on him.

"Lay off, Sarah!" River defended.

"No, Mary! Your husband just tried to pick a fight with the most dangerous mercenary in the universe, so do me a favor, keep him in line before the son of Kovarian kills us all." She told River, making herself very clear. She then stormed out of the control room, leaving River and the Doctor alone.

The Doctor still at the top of his anger, put his glare on River. "I don't need you to defend me." He said trying to repair his pride.

"Oh yeah, because you did an excellent job doing that." She snapped at him. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down? He's going to murder people, River." He snapped back.

"Shhh. Do you realize what you're doing? You are going to blow our cover because you can't control you're temper." She whispered sharply. The Doctor turned away from her, wanting to punch the first wall he saw but stopped himself knowing that she was right. River waited for the Doctor's body to relax, before grabbing his hand and leaning on his arm, giving him comfort. "He is still our son inside, Sweetie. We can't lose him now." They both stood there in silence comforting each other for the reminder of the wait.

Over three hours later, the Shadow Prime Unit finally got the response they were waiting for. "Sonny, the Ukujaru are making contact." The ship's interface informed.

The Son rushed to the communications controls. "Great. Patch them through." He ordered, alongside his crew, eager to hear their decision.

"Greetings visitors from the Planet Loppe. My name is Commander Thade. I am the commander and chief of the Ukujaru. We have evaluated your proposal and have decided to negotiate the terms in question. Please, present your location so we can move forward on security protocols." The Commander stated with a rough but calm voice.

The Son fist pumped the air in excitement. "Yes! Best birthday ever!" he exclaimed happily, making his crew also smile in delight. "Finally, something going my way." He said leaning on the console and recovering from his elated jumping around. "Hello people of Loppe. We come in peace. We have entered your atmosphere and are hovering about 20,000 feet above your sea level. Our location is latitude 20.81970 and longitude 6.71924. And to prove we come in peace I'll give you permission to scan my vessel and passengers. You will see that there are only 4 of us and we are completely unarmed." He said with charm and respect.

"The Ship is unarmed?" River asked, concerned that they were sitting ducks.

"Oh, trust me, I didn't want to dismantle my shield and weapon systems, but I need them to see that we are not a threat." The Son explained, waiting for a response from the planet below.

The Doctor was surprised to hear the Son say that in such a truthful manner. He was still upset about earlier, but seeing the Son make the effort to keep this mission somewhat peaceful helped him to understand the other side of his war-raised child.

"Scanners indicate that you are untruthful." Commander Thade stated not sounding happy.

"Sorry?" The Son asked, not understanding.

"You say you are a team of 4 and our scanners say 5. You are in violation of our airspace law and will be dealt with accordingly."

"Wait, Wait. We are not hostile, I repeat we are not hostile. And there are only 4 of us. Me and my three Clerics." He responded, feel the panic in his body.

"There are 5." The Commander insisted and ended all transmission.

The Son became angry, throwing down the communicator hard onto the console. He turned to his crew, who were just as confused as he was. "Why are they saying that?" he demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe their scanner is broken." Sarah said, trying to think of a solution but failing.

"Yeah, right. Because over suspicious, armed to the teeth, cross aliens never check to see if their equipment is working." He mocked and started to count his crew repeatedly, franticly trying to understand what was happening. Suddenly, he noticed something behind the crew that was very wrong. "What is that?" he pointed.

"What is what?" Asked River, moving out of the way of the son, as he went to the crate of apples.

"What's with the apples?" he demanded pointing at the large crate.

"I thought you said you liked apples." Sarah said, not seeing the importance.

"I do like apples but I don't bring them on missions!" he shouted, quickly opening the crate and fully seeing the problem. "Melody!" he yelled angrily, lifting the little girl out of the crate.

River gasped in shock seeing her younger incarnation, but her attention was instantly deterred by a very loud alert system.

"No, no, no!" the Son shouting in panic and rushing over to the communications controls. "We are not hostile! Disengage, I repeat disengage!" he pleaded, seeing two seeker missiles on his radar screen. He then pulled on the wheel hard to the right and forward making the ship dodge out of the way. The missiles recovered their guidance and speed, chasing the ship.

"Sonny!" Melody called out, becoming scared.

"Abort your attack! There are women and children aboard this vessel. Abort your attack!" the Son yelled into the communicator hoping that will get the Ukujaru to disengage. "Abort, abort! Damnit!" hearing no response and seeing 4 more missiles on the radar, he had no choice. "Everyone, abandon ship, now!" he ordered.

The Doctor, River and Sarah quickly grabbed a parachute pack and opened the bay door. Seeing the two women were ready to jump, the Son pushed them out, then grabbed Melody and slammed her against the Doctor's chest, strapping her to him tightly. "You don't let go of her for anything." He warned the Doctor, then shoved them both out of the ship, just in time before the missiles reached their target.

"Sonny!" Melody screamed seeing the cruiser explode as they fell to the planet.

"Hold on!" the Doctor shouted, pulling the rip cord and deploying the parachute. The two jolted upward as the parachute hit the air making Melody's straps slightly slip.

"Don't let me go." She cried out, wrapping her arms around the Doctor's neck.

"Don't worry, I got you." He assured her, keeping a tight grip. "Brace for impact." He placed his hand over her head to shield her from falling debris as ship pieces rained around them. However, it was the trees that the Doctor was worried about. He deployed his chute a little too late and didn't have time to try to glide to a safe landing spot. Instead, they hit a thick area of tropical jungle trees hard, with thorny branches, scratching them and catching the parachute as they fell. Becoming fully tangled in the tree branches, the parachute became nothing more than a life line and stopped the Doctor and Melody from hitting the hard ground, 30 feet below.

The two dangled there for a moment before shaking off the shock. The Doctor looked up to see if he could find a way down to the ground safely. Seeing no way but falling straight down, he turned his attention to the terrified child in his arms. "Are you ok, Melody?"

"I think so, but…" she started to say but became emotional. "I didn't see Sonny jump out of the ship." Crying uncontrollably, she buried her head into his chest.

The Doctor didn't know what to tell her. He too didn't see the Son make it out of the cruiser before it exploded and he feared the worst. Is this how it ends? Watching his son die before he properly got to meet him? And where is River? He hugged the girl tighter, grieving with her.

"Sweetie? Are you there?" River's voice chimed in his ear.

The Doctor lifted his head. "River!" he called back, relieved to hear his wife.

"Yes, I did see a river. Where are you?" River asked, hinting to him that they were still under cover.

The Doctor winced, picking up on his mistake. "Not near one. We are stuck in a tree. Me and Melody." He clarified, suddenly feeling a paradox forming. "Mary, are you ok? Are you hurt?"

"I'm a little beat up but I'm fine. Sarah is here and fine as well. She lost her ear communicator during the fall. Do me a favor and activate your tracker inside your Shadow Badge, Sweetie." The Doctor looked around confused for a moment, but soon remembered the badge on his collar. He pressed it with his thumb and the slit on the pin lit up and slowly pulsed. "Thank you. You two are close. Just sit tight and we will be there soon." River informed.

The Doctor smiled. "You got it."

10 minutes later River and Sarah reached their location. "John, how are you two doing up there?" Sarah called out.

"Fine, you know, just hangin' out." The Doctor replied sarcastically, wishing for better days.

"How are we going to get them down?" Sarah asked River.

River pulled out a thick black climbing rope from her belt pouch and handed it to her. "Here. We'll use this."

Sarah looked down at the rope like it was a magic trick. "How are you doing that?" she asked, as River pulled the rest of the 50 feet of rope out of the small belt pocket.

"The Son invented our equipment. All the pockets are bigger on the inside."

"Right, of course." She weakly muttered.

"Where are your gloves?" River asked, putting on sturdy climbing gloves.

"On the ship." Sarah answered, kicking herself, remembering that she left them in the storage room.

"Well, this is going to hurt then." River noted to her and tossed up some of the rope to the Doctor.

The Doctor wrapped the rope around Melody and himself. "Ok Melody, you're going to have to cut the chute."

"What? But we will fall." Melody said, shaking her head and becoming frightened.

"Don't worry, I won't let you hit the ground. I promise." He assured her.

Melody looked down at the ground, seeing River and Sarah waiting and ready to wench them down. "Ok." She said bravely. The Doctor gave her an encouraging smile and handed her his combat knife.

He then untied her straps, allowing her to climb on his shoulders to reach as high as she could. Melody sawed on the lines, becoming more anxious after every strand that was cut through, and once it snapped, they started to fall.

Sarah screamed in pain as the rope ripped her hands apart, but River, with all her strength, kept it steady. The Doctor hit the ground hard onto his back, protecting Melody and softening her blow.

"Mister, are you ok?" Melody asked moving off his chest.

The Doctor coughed and groaned as he slowly sat up. "I'm fine." He told her and then looked up at River. "Just a bit too old for this." River helped him up to his feet and tightly hugged him. "I thought I lost you." He whispered hugging her back, breathing in her smell and feeling her warmth.

"Never." River confirmed, smiling flirtatiously.

"Sonny!" Melody shouted as loud as she could into the jungle and becoming desperate to find him. "Sonny!"

"Hey kid, shut up. You are going to give away our position." Sarah yelled at her.

"Too late." A raspy voice said.

The group froze as four, 9 foot tall, male Ukujaru approached them. Their armor and rifles were a patchwork of assorted styles, suggesting that they were scavenged from their previous invaders and didn't fix their bold, muscular, body properly. Their white fur and pink skin shown underneath the armor and their faces seemed more primitive. Wearing brightly colored war paint and eccentric jewelry.

"We surrender!" the Doctor told them raising his hands and encouraging the other to do so.

The leader of the party, groaned in disapproval but allowed one of his men to step forward. "Take the offspring first." He ordered.

Melody gasped in fear and clinging onto the Doctor's leg. The Ukujaru quickly grabbed her arm and started to roughly pull her away. "No! Let me go!" she cried out.

Before anyone could react, a 7-inch combat knife flew throw the air, piercing through the Ukujaru's temple and killing him instantly. The other Ukujarus turned their attention towards the jungle were the blade came from. Suddenly, the Son raced towards the natives on his hoverboard, grabbing one of them and throwing the ape into a tree trunk. Hearing the bones of their comrade fatally crack, the Ukujaru open fired on the Time Lord. The Son moved his board upward shielding himself from the barrage of bullets, which ricocheted off the board back at the attackers. Killing one and gravely wounding the other.

The Son hopped off his hoverboard and walked to the injured Ukujaru, calmly but with intense fury. "Wait, wait. We are only a retrieval group. I surrender, I surrender!" The ape pleaded to him.

"Great." The Son replied, drawing his pistol and shooting the Ukujaru in the head.

"No!" yelled the Doctor, running up to the creature. Seeing that it was indeed dead, he once again, let his anger get the best of him. "He was surrendering." He said getting up in front of the Son.

"They shot down my ship!" he snapped back at him.

"Sonny?" Melody nervously cried.

The two Time Lords looked at the girl and saw, her and the other two staring in horror at something behind them. They turned around slowing and revealed a giant green, tiger-like, beast.

The beast inched closer growling and snarling, daring its pray to run. It took a big whiff of the air and its vivid yellow eyes focused on the party.

"Run!" the Son shouted to his crew. "RUN!" He picked up Melody and they all ran for their lives.

The beast reacted and started to chase them ferociously through the jungle. It wasn't long before another large cat joined in the hunt and started to gain speed.

"Sonny!" Melody called out seeing the other beast gaining up on them. The Son and his team made a sharp turn right, slightly throwing the cats off.

"We need to split up. John, take Melody. Mary come with me!" He ordered, giving Melody to the Doctor and grabbing River's hand, pulling her in the opposite direction from the others.

Just as the Son wanted, the two beasts started to chase just him and River, leaving the other three alone. "Mary, you might want to run faster!" he yelled, slowing himself down, drawing his gun and shooting at the closest beast, stopping it from swiping at her feet.

A bullet planted itself between the cat's eyes, making its dead body tumble to the ground. The other jumped over its corpse and regained its focus. Unfortunately, River lost her footing and tripped to the ground. She turned to face the cat and went into a defense position, letting the cat chomp onto her left forearm.

River screamed in pain as the beast's razor-sharp teeth crunched down.

"No!" the Son reacted, quickly grabbing the beast's upper jaw and began to pry its mouth open. As it fought, its jaw became weaker and slowly opened, allowing River to slip her arm out.

Once her arm was out, the Son held the cat's head steady for a moment, then twisted it as hard as his could, breaking its neck. The Son rushed to River and helped her to her feet. "Into that cave." He said, seeing a cavity in the rock face 20 yards away. "John, regroup. We're in a cavern to the south." He communicated in his ear piece. He sat River down onto the cave floor. Her arm was ripped apart and bleeding profusely. Hearing her weep in pain he said, "Stay with me." and pressed his forehead against hers, giving her stimulation and focus to stay awake.

He went to the mouth of the cave, seeing John, Melody and Sarah running toward him and another giant cat beast following close behind. "No." he muttered. He then pulled a Sonic Blaster from a holster on his thigh and slid a locking switch on the side of it, transforming the Blaster into a thick barrel Sonic Cannon. "Damnit! Run faster!" He yelled out, making his team motivated to do so, and they all ran in the cave. The beast wasn't going to let its pray go and made one last leap at them. However, the Son was ready and he fired the Sonic Cannon at the top of the cave opening, dislodging the weak boulders and allowing them to rain down, crushing the beast below and trapping the Shadow Prime Unit inside the cave.


	6. Space Between

House of Silence Chapter 5:

The smell of fresh soil and dust settled to the ground as the darkness subsided under the soft glow of a Torch Rod. The cracking sound echoed through the open cave as Sarah activated another torch, and placing it into the moist dirt floor. The torches shined brighter, illuminating the area and returning sight to the Shadow Prime Unit.

The Doctor ran to River becoming upset at her state while Sarah leaned against the stone wall, catching her breath and revisiting the burning pain on her palms. The Son, however, remained tense staring in fury at his little stowaway.

"What the hell are you doing here, Melody?" he asked marching towards the frightened girl.

"I'm sorry. I just…" she started to say.

"Do you realize what you have done? You compromised my mission and almost got everyone killed!" he yelled pointing towards his team.

"I just didn't want…"

"What? What was more important for you to risk your life? You, stupid girl!"

Melody started crying and lowered her head in shame. "I just didn't want you to be alone." She finally said between gasps and tears. "It's your birthday."

"My birth was the worst day of my life and you decided to make it more unbearable by nearly killing yourself?" he questioned her.

She looked up at him realizing the pain she had caused. "I'm sorry. I'm really very sorry." She then gasped, noticing a deep laceration on his left side. "You're bleeding."

"We're all bleeding, Melody." He growled, adding more guilt and leaving her to cry in the corner.

The Son took his sonic screwdriver and started to scan his team. First, the Doctor and River. Reading its read-out screen, he let out a stressful sigh and scanned his last Cleric. He walked up to Sarah and examined her hands.

"It's just rope burn." She told him.

"This is a cave and you're going to need your hands to climb out of it, so don't move and don't freak out." He ordered.

Suddenly, the Son's eyes began to glow and a stream of golden particles flowed out from his touch to her shredded hands. Sarah slightly pulled away in fright but stopped as the pain from her palms quickly disappeared. The specks of light and energy subsided and he let go of her, allowing her to take a shocking look. Her eyes widened in disbelief seeing her fully healed hands. "OK, not freaking out." She said clearly holding back a break down.

The Son clenched onto his side as the blood became more apparent. He knelt in front of River and carefully lifted her arm. River shook her head unable to find her voice. She knew what he was going to do and didn't want him to waste his regenerative energy. However, the Son started to heal her anyway. The golden glow was more intense as the particles wrapped around her arm. River felt an enormous sense of sustainability and her vital signs became stable as the energy force rebuilt flesh and skin. Once again, the light receded slowly from once it came and the Son stepped back from her.

"OK, my turn." He weakly said before collapsing to the ground.

"Son!" The Doctor yelled with concern.

The Son grabbed his side in pain trying to hold back his blood from gushing out any further. "Melody, I need you to do that to me now." He said nearly failing at his words.

"Me? But I can't." she replied, frightened and unconfident that she can perform what she just witnessed.

"Yes, you can. I taught you." The Son pleaded as his breath shortened.

"Can't you regenerate?" The Doctor asked quickly, feeling his son's life source fading.

The Son shook his head. "I can't. I already gave half of a regeneration to your wife." The pain was starting to become unbearable. "Damnit, Melody! I'm bleeding out. You have to do this!" he shouted, becoming desperate.

"OK!" Melody shouted back. She sat in front of the Son, hesitating at the sight of his injury. He snatched her hands and pressed her palms against the gash in his side. She flinched in horror as his blood ran through her fingers.

"Just like I showed you." He told her.

"But I couldn't save the bird." She whimpered as tears rolled down her face.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm not a bird, eh?" he assured her giving her a smile.

She bravely smiled back and started to focus. The glow returned, more vibrant than ever. Engulfing all the darkness of the cave and surrounding the entire group. They watched in astonishment as the golden particles danced around them. Melody winced as her self-assurance grew and gave more regenerative energy to Son's wound.

"OK, that's enough." He gasped, noticing that he was fully healed. "Melody, stop!" He made clear, but she didn't stop and continued to give more. "I said, that's enough!" he yelled pushing her off suddenly, making her fly backwards and the rays of light vanish completely. "Damnit Melody, you almost gave me a whole regeneration."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." He replied hoping that her failure didn't make him more upset.

"Are you OK, Melody?" the Doctor asked helping the girl up off the ground.

"Yeah, I'm OK. It's my fault. I always give it too much." She defended looking downheartedly at her hands.

"That was…was impossible." Sarah said in shock. "What are you people? Real Gods?"

"We are Time Lords. Well, Sonny is. They don't know what I am. Our late father, Octavian, told me that I might be a hybrid of some kind." Melody answered.

"Time Lord enough for me." The Son laughed, standing up. He examined the left side of his abdomen and rubbed the newly healed skin. He then walked to Melody and scanned her with his sonic.

"Are you still cross with me?" She asked following the sonic light with her eyes.

"Furious." He replied giving a scolding look, but quickly eased his face revealing a proud grin. "But remind me to give you a gold star sticker when we get home." Melody's face lit up and she jumped to the Son, embracing him with a long hug. The Son went to each of his Clerics and activated his sonic on their air filter units. "I'm giving each of you an upgrade on your air capacity. We are going to need it while moving through this cave system." He explained. He hesitated as he came to River. "I'm giving you double. Melody is going to get very tired. She's going to need air."

"I'm fine." Melody said, feeling overly bold and fearless.

"Is that right? The only reason you're still standing is because you have an advanced respiratory system like me and you're running on adrenaline. So, no you are not fine." He lectured, making her turn away and pout. "You are going to have to share with her, understand?" he asked River.

"Yes, Prophet." She answered, grasping the seriousness of the situation.

"Great. Now that everyone is not dying it's time to work. John, take my sonic screwdriver and create a program to map this area when scanned. We can't afford getting lost in this labyrinth." He told the Doctor, tossing his sonic screwdriver. "Sarah, you're in charge of the Torch Rods. Do not let them go out and keep them hot. Once night falls the temperature in this cave is going to drop to uncomfortable levels."

"Yes, Prophet." She saluted, rushing to work on the torches.

"Mary, to Melody now."

"On it." River announced, going to the girl.

"I'm going to scout ahead. All of you stay put." The Son clicked on a small torch and cautiously headed further into the cave system.

Melody weakly looked up at River, starting to feel the effects of thin air. River unclipped her air collar then flinched back as Melody tried to reach for it.

"I got it." she told the girl, not wanting to make the paradox between them any worse. Melody nodded and stretched out her neck, allowing River to clip the air purifier collar on. A rush of fresh air forced its way into her lungs and gave her body precious oxygen. Feeling much better she thanked River and waited for the Son to return.

The Son walked at a slow pace, being careful where he was placing his footing and what direction he was going in. However, getting lost was the last thing on his radar. The smell of the cave was off-putting and seemed oddly familiar. He went up to a wall of the tunnel and gently chipped off a small pebble with his thumb. He placed the pebble in his mouth, tasting the compounds and identifying every element. He quickly spat out the rock and hissed in disgust. He then bolted back to the others.

"It's a complete maze. John, give me good news." The Son said going to the Doctor to see his work.

"The program is fairly simple. Once you scan the area the software links the sonic screwdriver to the hand comp. Then, it creates a map within 10 meters in front with an estimation percentage of the best route to take, based on air fluctuations and temperature changes." The Doctor explained, showing the Son the hand comp and mapping structure.

"Oh, that's genius." The Son replied in excitement and impressed with the Doctor's work. "OK, John and Melody you two in the back. Mary, you are with me. You're going to be my navigator. Sarah, in the middle and keep us all warm." He commanded his team, pointing them to their positions.

"Why can't I stay with you?" Melody asked not wanting to leave the comfort of his side.

The Son kneeled in front of the girl. "Melody, it's time that you need to start listening to me."

"But you never listen to me." She replied trying to get her way.

"I always listen, Melody. Always. But this time I…" he stopped on his words showing a bit of fear. "I need you to stay with John."

Melody heard the seriousness in his tone and decided that this time she will do what she was told. She moved to the back of the line and took the Doctor's hand, assuring the Son that she will no longer question him.

"Alright, let's move out." The Son announced and lead his team into the darkness.

The sound of their feet shuffled and echoed through the tunnels as they walked. Their breathing was apparent as the chill in the air became more frigid and every fork in the road was quickly decided. However, the silence as they moved forward became unbearable for Sarah's curious mind.

"So, Time Lords? I've never heard of that race before." Sarah said, very interested in how a race of people could put a stop to death.

"No, you wouldn't. We are very rare. Mother says that we are an endangered species. There's only a few of us left." Melody replied.

"So, you two are brother and sister, then?"

"No, Sonny is my teacher. He's training me to kill the Devil." She answered with a cheeky grin, shadow boxing into the air.

"Whoa, the Devil? That's a tall order." Sarah giggled.

"Well, someone has to do it. The Devil is evil. He lures people through lies and false promises, making them do his bidding. He also steals children and devours their souls, that's how he stays alive. He tried to steal me once, but Sonny tricked him and switched me with a dolly. That's why it's my destiny to kill him. I'm the baby he couldn't steal." Melody explained without fear, knowing what she must do.

The Doctor became uncomfortable listening to her disturbing description. The Church twisted the truth and made him her personal Devil. Melody is young and highly sensitive to manipulation, but what lies did they tell his son about him? He wondered. For Melody, the Doctor is no more than a scary bedtime story. As children grow up, that same scary story becomes less real and they start to question its inner truth. But for the Son, the Devil is no illusion and if he was present at Demon's Run, he most certainly saw the Doctor at his worst.

"Well, you let me know when he's around because he sounds terrifying." Sarah said shivering as her imagination went a little too far.

"Don't worry, if he shows up Sonny won't let you die. Mother said that if he loses any more Clerics then she's going to demote him and he'll have to clean the toilets." Melody whispered with a snicker.

Unfortunately, the whisper wasn't quiet enough and the Son sharply turned his attention to the mischievous know-it-all. "Why must you put my business on the street?" He asked her in annoyance.

"Well, why do you have to put your business in my town?" Melody shot back sarcastically.

"Well maybe, I'll move my business to a different city."

"Good because your business wasn't helping my economy." She returned, winning the childish comebacks.

The Son growled in defeat. "You know what Melody? You have been a galactic pain in my…" he suddenly started to sniff the air around him, averting his attention elsewhere. "Do you smell that?" he asked his team.

"Smell what?" Sarah asked.

"Fresh air." The Doctor replied taking in the cave air, also becoming surprised.

The Son scanned all around him with the sonic. Suddenly River shouted, "Stop." Indicated that there was something unseen. "That wall." She pointed reading the hand comp. "There's a tunnel, manmade, going straight up."

"But there's nothing there." Melody said staring at the rocky surface.

"You think?" The Son questioned, touching the wall. A large 3ft by 3ft chunk of the wall glitched then shattered, revealing the truth. "A holographic false wall." It was a large square intake vent going straight up and out of the cave. The Son hopped into the vent, testing the size and the gripping capability of the its smooth surface. He left the vent and unclipped the air collar from Melody and placed it back on River. "You're going to need the air for this. We must climb it. Melody, hop on." He said, encouraging her to jump on his back. He returned to the vent the placed his hands and feet opposite from each other. "Mary, how high is the vent?" he asked becoming concerned and feeling the weight of himself and Melody.

"I would tell you, Sweetheart, but you won't like it." River kindly replied.

The Son nodded and accepted the challenge. He put pressure on each of his limbs and slowly, one step and push up before the other, heading up the vent.

Several yards later, Melody could finally see the hatch at the very top. "We're almost there." She announced with excitement, clicking on and off the sonic screwdriver like a toy. "What's wrong?" she asked, noticing the Son had stopped and struggling to hold pressure in his arms and legs.

"What is Dr. Renferw feeding you?" He asked in frustration as his muscles trembled and screamed for mercy.

"Hey, that's mean." Melody said, angrily hitting him with the sonic.

"Ow. Damnit, Melody!" He barked. He moved up the vent a few more feet but feeling his upper body strength failing he stopped again, catching his breath.

"I can't…" he muttered, facing his strength limit and feeling the sweat permeate his palms loosening his grip.

The Doctor, right under him, could no longer bear to see his son take all the effort. He moved up and started to support the Son and Melody on his shoulders, giving the young Time Lord much needed rest.

"John, what are you doing?" The Son asked surprised at his strength.

"I got you, son." He assured him, moving them 4 feet more and reaching the vent hatch.

"OK, Melody use the sonic to open it." The Son ordered her.

Melody randomly started clicking the sonic on towards the door but nothing happened. "It won't unlock."

"It's bit more than wanting it to open. You have to feel it. Think of it as illustration rather than visual." The Son explained.

Melody tried it again with more focus. "It worked." She smiled hearing the click of the locking mechanism unlatching.

"That's my girl. Now slowly peek in to see if it's clear to enter." The Son instructed.

She peeked in being careful not to be noticed. "It's clear. It's just a dark room."

"Great. Now get off me." He growled.

Melody climbed in, followed by the Son. He then pulled up the Doctor into the room. The Son laid flat on his back allowing his body to relax. "Yeah!" he exclaimed punching the air in delight, as the Doctor helped the rest up and out of the vent.

After a few minutes of rest, Melody turned to the Son. "Can I turn the lights on?" she asked, showing him the sonic screwdriver.

The Son laughed. "Knock yourself out." He replied proudly.

She activated the sonic in the air, instantly turning on the lights revealing the horror in the room. "Get back!" He screamed in panic, grabbing Melody and jolting his team behind him. Unimaginable fear struck the Son to his very core as he and his team gazed upon a Dalek standing only 8 feet from them.


	7. Instincts

House of Silence Chapter 6: Instincts

The copper colored robotic mutant stood in silence as the Son and his unit froze on the spot in disbelief. Their Commander, once fearless with willpower and strength nearly matching god-like, was turned into a terrified coward. His eyes were wide in terror and his whole body trembled in dread. His energy pistol was drawn, chattering as he failed to keep it steady, aiming at the unmoving Dalek.

"Nobody, move!" he ordered, his voice cracking in distress.

The Dalek was unresponsive, immobile, and lifeless. Its gunstick and eyestock was sitting in a rest position, along with the body, which seemed undamaged and polished like a trophy. The Son nervously moved forward, breathing heavily and failing to be intrepid as cold sweat formed on his brow.

"Sonny, don't." Melody said as her own fear overcame her.

"Stay there!" he shouted at her, not wanting her to come any closer to the monster.

"Why is he…" River started to ask the Doctor.

"Instincts, remember?" The Doctor whispered back to her. The memories of the Daleks scared even him, but to have them as an instinctual predator, like a cat to a mouse; the Doctor could not even begin to imagine the level of fear that his son is facing.

As the Son got within a foot of it his anxiety lowered, noticing that its eyestock wasn't illuminated. However, that didn't stop him from flinching as he quickly moved to its side and keeping his gun pointing at it.

"It's not..." he hesitated. "It's a shell." He finally concluded with a hard shallow. He slowly touched the cold metal and moved its upper head. He then pressed his ear against it for a double check. "Melody, pop quiz. Open it." he told her in a calmer tone. Melody did what she was told and pointed the sonic screwdriver at the Dalek, opening the cyborg shell revealing its interior. "See, no Dalek. Even the support casing is missing."

"So, where is it?" River asked as her breathing returned to normal.

"I don't know, elsewhere." He replied, studying the robotic form.

"Did I win?" Melody asked as River returned the air collar to her neck.

"No, you didn't win. You passed." The Son snapped back at her and snatched the sonic screwdriver, then scanned the rest of the room.

The area was a large oval-shaped closet with mechanical Dalek parts everywhere. Hanging on the walls and ceiling, most pieces discarded on tables and shelves.

Sarah, still in shock, stepped towards the opened shell. "A Dalek. That's insane. I've heard stories but I've never seen one." She said with a nervous takeback. "I'm starting to rethink my life choices now."

"I bet. We need to get out of here and leave this planet now." The Son told them, rummaging through his belt pockets.

"How? The Space Cruiser was destroyed."

"By vortex manipulator." He answered, quickly finding the device and clipping it to his wrist.

"A vortex manipulator? Those were banned a century ago. How did you get one?"

"It's my birthday. It was my birthday present." He continued to answer, franticly entering coordinates, becoming strained under the want to run and the constant line of questioning from Sarah.

"Lt. Dimms gave you an illegal time device for your birthday?"

"What is it with you and your stupid questions?" he asked back becoming angry. "No, she didn't. The gift was from some professor, but this time it wasn't a blasted pen." He started answering madly and in a frenzy, feeling like a cornered animal. "Also, why do they do that?" he demanded the Doctor.

The Doctor was thrown off by the question. "Do what?" he asked, seeing the fear in the Son's eyes returning.

"Every time I graduate my professors give me a stupid pen. I mean, it's the 52nd century, who uses pens? No, no, no! That's not the point! Shut up. Just shut up!" He screamed turning away, grabbing his head, and falling to his knees as his anxiety and panic reached its max.

River pushed her way to the Son and hugged him tightly. "You need to calm down, Sweetheart." She gently said. "Using a manipulator on 5 people is unheard of. If you get the coordinates wrong, even in the slightest, it could be fatal. I know you are scared, and that's ok, but you need to calm down and think." His tremor and breathing slowed as her voice woke him up from his nightmare. She pressed her forehead against his and said, "Stay with me."

The Son's eyes peered into hers and she could finally see her real son underneath his outer toughness.

Suddenly, Ukujaru guards rushed the room and surrounded the team, ready to fire their large rifles. The Son, quickly got to his feet and raised his hands.

"We surrender!" He said. His team followed his lead and surrendered as well.

"Why should we leave you alive?" said a bolder Ukujaru that approached the group. The larder male ape looked older than the others. His fur was greyer in color and the right side of his face was damaged, missing a bottom fang, and a giant scar ran across his eye.

"Commander Thade, I assume." The Son said recognizing the ape's voice.

"And you must be The Son. Commander of the Shadow Prime Unit." Cmdr. Thade also remembering.

"That's right, and my statement still stands. We come in peace and since we surrendered that makes the contract invalid. Please let us go and we will no longer pursue your planet or people. I will personally inform the Church that this planet and solar system is protected and untouchable. We came in peace and we will leave in peace."

Cmdr. Thade laughed at the boy. "But you didn't come in peace. You attacked my men."

"Your men put their hands on the child. Surely, even your species are protective of their young. They stepped over their injunction and I acted in self-defense on behalf of a powerless child." The Son explained seeing the Commander take a glance at Melody, and clearly understood the mistake that his men had made. "However, if you want your pound of flesh I will take full responsibly for the deaths and allow you to kill me."

Cmdr. Thade growled in dismay. He then pulled a small scanning device from a holster on his right hip and scanned the Son's face and upper body.

"You're a bit young to be a commander, aren't you?" he questioned, reading the scanner.

"I survived an explosion, an attack from three of your men, and managed to get into your city without being detected. All this and I kept my team in order and unscathed. I like to think that my skills out match my age."

He chucked in agreement. "You also have two hearts, that's intriguing."

"Yeah, so what? I know a species that as two brains. One internal and one they have to hold outside their body. Perfect use for a breast pocket." The Son said, letting out a smile as he pictured an Ood in plaid.

The Commander raise a curious eyebrow then turned to his guards. "Confiscate their weapons and restrain them. We will present them to the King. He will be most interested in the Time Lord."

The smiled from the Son's face turned into shock as him and his team were pursued.

"Sonny?" Melody said, becoming frightened and backing up behind the Doctor.

"It's ok, Melody. Don't resist them." The Son bravely told her.

Cmdr. Thade smiled in agreeance. "I must say this, at such a young age, the Church has made you quite a disciplined soldier. Your people must be great warriors."

The Son clenched his jaw hard as his anger rose, but for his team's sake, stopped himself from blindly attacking the old Ukujaru as he turned away.

As they were stripped from their weapons and utility belts, the Doctor noticed that the Son had quickly discarded his sonic and vortex manipulator amongst the random Dalek parts, hiding them in plain sight. He glanced at River and psychically thanked her for calming the Son down and possibly saving their lives. Lt. Dimms advice was making a major impact on her and himself. He then made a mental promise that if they make it out of here alive, he's going to personally thank her, and not as John Smith but as the Doctor.

It wasn't a long journey to the royal chambers of the planet's king. However, the Shadow Prime Unit got to see the inner city of the planet's capital and how these creators made an evolutionary leap from the use of their previous invader's technology. The mix and mash of primal and modern, made their culture a clockwork cocktail of fantasy and science. Navy blue metal coated the walls of the great hall like broken armor and overgrown rich green vines hugged the cracks, seemingly holding the building together. Even the Doctor was amazed at the technical advancements they have overcome. However, this also worried him; they have become powerful very quickly. The understanding of another races advanced technology would have taken hundreds of years, even more to incorporate that understanding into their own natural evolution.

"Son, you said that the Ukujaru were invaded twice before and won. Who tried to invade them?" The Doctor asked him as they walked down a large hallway leading to the royal chambers.

"Now? You asked about that now?" the Son asked back, but saw that the Doctor was serious about his question and decided to answer. "If I had to guess by the patchwork architecture, it was the Silurians and maybe Sontarans."

"Those are serious armies. How do you think the Ukujaru defeated them?"

"Well, I'd say they had help." The Son said with worry in his tone.

A Guard hissed at the two, giving them a threatening warning. They approached large archway double doors that seemed to be more like a vault. Locking mechanisms clicked and unlatched as the doors started to open. The gigantic navy blue dead bolt clicked over clockwise, moving the vines like snakes, allowing the doors to fully open.

The sight of the chambers was shocking. The massive circular room was like a biodome of giant colorful flora and thick humid fog hid the outer walls of the chamber. The Son freeze into a petrified stare as the King himself became visible, nestled in its glowing blue cylindrical tank. Recognizing the creator from its tree-truck thick tentacles to its dead glossy eye, the Ukujaru King was a colossal Dalek.

A guard shoved the Son forward forcing him into the room. However, Commander Thade stopped the others from entering.

"The King is only interested in the Time Lord." He said pushing the others back. "Take them to the holding cells and separate this one." He ordered his men and pointed at the Doctor. "I don't trust him."

The Son gave his team one last glance as the doors closed and relocked behind him. The Doctor became tempestuous and wildly tried to fight the guards off him, but they overpowered him and with one cross hiss, Cmdr. Thade hit him with the butt of his pistol; knocking the Doctor out completely.

As the Doctor's eyes fluttered open. He slowly touched the side of his head finding a fairly large welt. He let out a painful groan as he fully awoke. Suddenly, he felt the warmth of River's hand cupping his cheek.

"Hello, Sweetie." She belled softly.

"River." He said, sitting up and seeing the jail bars between them.

"Shhh. Not too loud. The children are asleep." She warned him and peeking over her shoulder, seeing Sarah and Melody huddled together in the opposite corner of her cell. "You shouldn't have done that."

"River, you saw what was in there." He replied as he recalled the earlier events. "I had to try."

"Despite whatever I saw, you have to start trusting the Son. Our son." She added, understanding the fear he was carrying.

"How can you accept this?"

"I have faith."

The Doctor chuckled and shook his head. "Faith? The Church has rubbed off on you." He questioned as he rested his body against the wall. He then quickly grabbed her left hand, remembering that they were on borrowed time. He let out a relieving breath as he read her perception ring and examined his own.

"How much time do we have?" she asked calmly.

"Not much, but hopefully enough. River, how is it that you don't remember any of this?" he whispered.

"I don't know. I mean, I'm starting to remember pieces but not him. Never him. Do you have any theories for me?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "The Silents maybe, but that's not how they work. You would still remember most of it. Melody sees the Son as a brother, sometimes as a father figure. Those type of memories are way too strong for the Silents to erase." He gave himself time to rest and looked around his cell, diverting his thoughts elsewhere. "The bars of the prison are admitting high volts of electricity." He observed.

"Yeah, they rooted a Sontaran gun core to the metal. This jail is old and falling apart. Why? Is that important?" She asked hoping he could see a way out.

"Maybe." He thought.

A loud noise echoed thought the jail, jolting the team awake and making them stand to their feet.

"Sonny!" Melody shouted as she saw the Son come in view and being escorted by three guards.

They stopped in front of the Doctor's cell and opened it with a keypad. They then pushed the angry Time Lord in and quickly closed the cell doors.

"Hey, do you want to be my guinea pig?" the Son asked one guard before his walked away.

"Your what?" he asked with a growl.

Suddenly, the Son slipped his hands between the bars and grabbed the unexpected Ukujaru. He thrust him forward ramming him into the hot glowing metal bars. The guard screamed in agony as the electricity ran through his body, burning is fur and melting his flesh. The Son let him go, letting his lifeless body hit the ground as the other guards came to his aid.

"You killed him, you bastard!" a guard said, seeing his friend's motionless body. He pointed his loaded laser rifle at the Son, but the other guard quickly grabbed the gun and pulled it away from its target.

"Don't shoot! He is property of the King now." He told the emotional ape. "He'll get his day." He hissed back at the Son, baring his teeth like a snarling baboon.

The Son put more fear in the remaining guards by staring corruptly at them as they carted their dead friend away. He moved to the back of the cell and sat hard on the ground, allowing himself to relax and think.

"Sonny, are you ok?" Melody finally asked.

"Great." He sarcastically answered with a calmer tone.

"What happened?" Sarah reluctantly asked seeing no remorse in his face.

"The King is a Dalek." He looked at his team. "but he's not an ordinary Dalek." The Son stood up and singled his team to gather close. "He's fat." He whispered with a smile.

"Fat?" everyone asked at once and failing to see the humor in all of this.

"Yeah fat, like obese jellyfish fat. All crammed inside his massive support casing. The freak can barely breath under the weight of his own gooey body. It's hilarious." He laughed. "Apparently, he's been on this planet for hundreds of years, trying to rebuild the Dalek army." He explained, moving around his cell eccentrically. "Unfortunately for him, the Ukujaru were in their primal age when he landed here. I mean, very early development, swinging from trees and hunting with pointy sticks. The Ukujaru barely had their own language and the Dalek had no means of defense or to call for help."

"So, he's the only one here?" River asked feeling a bet safer.

He nodded in agreement. "Not only that, he thinks that he's the only one left in the universe. He was telling me about some Time War that happened and that he fell out of a split in reality." He replied becoming more excited as he moved about the cell.

"Time War? What Time War?" Sarah wondered.

"I don't know. A War, before my time." He answered her trivial question. "He has been manipulating the Ukujaru, accelerating their evolution by sending fake out flares of distress. Stealing the technology from the people that answered the call. That's why this planet is such a target. They weren't being invaded, they were hunting."

"Why didn't he just leave the planet?" River questioned, starting to become curious.

"Now that's the question of the year, isn't it?" he turned to River. "Maybe he couldn't or maybe he didn't want to. This planet is nearly a clone of Earth. Perfect mixture of elements and minerals. Like gold, silver and iron…" He thought for a moment then became eccentric, hitting a revelation. "and a large amount of palladium! YES! The very stuff that the Dalek needs to rebuild a shell…" The Son's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "and a whole Army. That cave was full of it. I tasted it."

"So why hasn't he started rebuilding his army?" Melody raised a good point.

The Son chuckled. "Because he's fat. He has become comfortable being the boss. But that's not the best bit." The Son informed, looking madder than before.

"What's the best bit?" asked the Doctor, becoming uncomfortable by the insane look coming from is his war hungry child.

The Son, with an immoral smile, approached the Doctor. "He thinks I'm the Doctor."


	8. Signet Ring

House of Silence

Chapter 7: Signet Ring

There was a moment of silence. The Doctor stared in shock as he mouthed his own name back at the Son. The snide grin coming from his son was making him uneasy.

"The Doctor?" Melody asked, becoming upset. "Why would he think that?"

"Because I said I was." The Son replied not noticing her shakiness.

"Why would you do that? You're nothing like him!" She yelled in anger, as tears form in her eyes.

"Melody, calm down." He told her becoming confused at her reaction. "Of course I'm not the Doctor but I needed information, so I lied and played the part. Why are you crying?"

"Because, I hate him!" She screamed.

"Stop acting like a baby." he snapped back at her. "You need to start growing up and understand that this is my job. And soon it will be yours."

"It's not your job to become him. To become the enemy. And I'm not crying!" Melody turned away hiding her tears from him.

The Son moved closer to the bars between them, kneeling to her level. "Melody, listen to me. He has my Terrabomb and he knows what it is. If he didn't believe me that I was the Doctor, you and the others would be expendable to him. I was forced to restore the programming to its default setting. Don't you get it, if I didn't bend for him he would of..."

"What? Kill me? I would rather die than see you become the Doctor!" She snapped back. Her fears became a reality in her young mind and she could no longer hide her childish behavior. "I want to go home. I want Mother." she started to snivel uncontrollably.

"Melody." the Son said softly, seeing that she was still just a little girl and not ready for any aspect of their militaristic life.

Even the Doctor could see the pain in her and the love she had for the Son. The damage that the Church has caused was making her grow too fast for her mental state. More than she could handle.

"If you miss her so much why don't you give her a call?" the Son finally said in a comforting tone.

Melody wiped her tears away and looked up at the Son with interest.

"See that?" the Son pointed at a small oval-shaped device on the wall across from his cell. "That's a telephone, like the ones at home. Call her."

"I don't understand. It's too far away. How?"

"Oh Melody, you are stronger than you think. When you were very little, you would call her all the time. Making all of the telephones in the Orphanage ring all at once, even the ones that where broken or didn't have power. It didn't matter where she was, light years away or centuries in the future, she never failed to answer. Never failed to come."

Melody stared at the telephone on the wall. "I don't remember. Teach me how."

"I can't. I've tried. I just make boxes."

"Boxes?" she questioned.

"Yeah, little white cubes that fly away. And..." he lowered his head in regret, "she never came for me. But every birthday I would get one back with a gift inside." He let out a smile, remembering.

"Like what?"

"Like a sonic screwdriver when I was building my ship or a golden wrist watch." The Son lifted the sleeve of his suit, revealing an old golden watch that the Doctor was shocked to see. River too recognized the wrist watch, looking up at the Doctor.

The Doctor moved the cuff of his suit seeing the exact same watch around his wrist.

"Or an old Gallifreyan book that only I can read, which I still need to teach you how to read it." The Son continued, remembering his promise to her.

"Show me." Melody asked wanting to see the magic.

"OK." The Son sat in a rest position and closed his eyes, focusing his mind. Seconds later, a small speck of light started to form in front of him. The tiny energy grew into a small iridescent cube, spinning on the spot. The sides of the object began to dance around each other, then locking together, trapping the glowing light inside. Fully formed, the cube dropped into the Son's hand. "See, just boxes. It's always just a box."

"That's so cool." Melody said enchanted at the little box.

The Son laughed. "Only when they come back."

The cube started to hover and move all around the cell, finding its way out through the bars and flying away from the group.

"Where do they go?" asked Sarah, also gladdened by the magic she just witnessed.

"I have no idea. But they never go home. At least, not to the home I know." He replied with sad eyes and lowing his head in sorrow.

The Doctor watched as the hope drained from the Son. 'How many hypercubes has his son made, psychically calling for help and not getting a reply back?' He thought. The terrible feeling of guilt fell over him once again, knowing never once has he gotten one Tesseract from anyone that truly needed him. He was too busy running away looking for people to save or to impress, that he never just stopped to listen for people calling for help. How many cubes are just wondering around the vortex looking for one Time Lord, only to miss their target completely because he just can't stop and wait.

Melody became empathetic, mimicking the Son's face as her eye began to water. "Don't cry, Sonny. I'll call home for you." She then turned to the telephone and closed her eyes, focusing on the call. Suddenly, the phone on the wall began to ring. The deep short chirps echoed through the prison, catching the attention of a patrolling Ukujaru guard.

The Son stood up as the guard approached the ringing phone. The guard looked at the silent prisoners and let out a threatening growl. He then answered the phone.

"Hello?" the guard asked, "Who is this? Turn around?" The guards turned on the spot and a hypercube slammed into his face rendering him unconscious.

The cube bounced around a bit before zipping to the Son and dropping into his hands.

"Sonny, it came back!" Melody exclaimed, smiling up at him. "Happy Birthday."

"But my birthday was yesterday." He said hesitating to open it.

"It's always yesterday somewhere." The Doctor told him, patting the Son on his shoulder. "Happy birthday, son."

"Yeah, can't argue with that." the Son replied smiling with excitement at the cube. He quickly opened it like a eager kid and pulled out a small signet ring.

"What is it?" Melody asked.

"A ring." The Son replied, slipping it over his middle finger. "Dark blue indigo." He observed the ring with its silver band and the brilliant blue gem.

The Doctor made his smile wider, recognizing the ring immediately. He knew, at that very moment, he wasn't failing his son's calls after all.

"But why a ring?" Sarah asked.

"Well, she did call for help." River answered, figuring it out as well.

The Son went up the bars of the cells and looked back and forth from the electrified polls to the signet ring. Then, with a deep breath he grabbed one bar hard. He gasped with his team as the electrical current surged around his body rather than through it.

He let go of the bar and looked at his team. "Best one yet." He said with a determined grin. He then aggressively grasped the bars with both hands and the charge started to overload around him.

The static shot all around the jail, crashing and bouncing onto anything that wasn't grounded, making sparks as they hit.

"Don't touch anything metal!" The Doctor yelled.

The currents accumulation of charge blasted down every cell in the prison, detonating the Sontaran power core generator and taking out the power in the entire building. Suddenly, security alarms rang throughout the jail, lighting up the area with flickering whites and reds.

The Son fell to his knees feeling weary from the amount of energy that ran around his body. The upper part of his space suit had burned away and shredded apart onto the ground. Although, his skin was left unscathed from the electricity, the Doctor and River could now see something particularly alarming.

Horizontal marks covered the Son's upper and lower back. Most of the scars were older and faded than others, but they were made deep enough that even the Time Lord's accelerated mending ability wasn't able to heal the lacerations completely. The sight of the abuse nearly sent the Doctor and River into a rage that they have never felt. Their first glimpse of how Kovarian was controlling their son.

The Son coughed and chuckled under his breath, "OK, it's my turn." he forcefully slide open the cell door, then ripped a bar off of its weakened frame. He spun the rod like a professional Bo Staff fighter, then stood waiting in a offensive position.

"Sonny, are you OK?" Melody asked seeing him in a fired up mood.

"Great." he replied with a devilish grin.

The Ukujaru guards rushed to the open cell with their gun at the ready. "Don't move!" one yelled, but the Son ignored the order and made the first attack.

The guards opened fire immediately, but the Son with great speed spun the bar deflecting their bullets in all directions. He then thrust forward and slammed the poll down hard, crushing one guard's collar bone. The guard bellowed over, unable to hold his weapon, allowing the Son to make the next attack. He moved the poll from the left to the right smacking two more guards adjacent to the other. He then raced forward dodging each new bullet. Jumping left and right, confusing the remaining guard. The Son, now right in front of him, grabbed the ape's main wrist and twisted it with force. The crack of the guards wrist ran through his entire arm, fracturing the forearm and dislocating the shoulder. The Son followed up, twirling the poll under his arm , then pushing downward on the rod making the other end strike the side of the guards head, killing him instantly.

The first Ukujaru regained his focus on the Time Lord, attacking him with a dagger. However, the Son noticed the attack and quickly leaped to the side, only having the blade to graze his left cheek. The Son countered the guard and circled the poll again, knocking the knife out of the guards hand. Then with one last strong forward movement, the Son planted the spoke end of the bar straight into the chest of the unexpected ape.

Holding the dying guard against the wall the Son yelled, "John, get the others out!" but the Doctor was already on it.

The Doctor grasped hard on to the rusty old cell and started to pull it apart with ease. Suddenly, a bullet grazed his vision and he jerked back looking at its sender. The guards weren't backing down and continued to pursue the escapees.

"John, this way. Run!" shouted the Son, making the Doctor abandon his task.

"What about the others?" the Doctor asked, devastated to see the guards surround the jail, forcing him to back away and dodging bullets as they came.

"You can't save them if you're dead, besides they are the Doctor's companions and, now, they're Dalek leverage." the Son explained as they ran down the opposite hallway and escaping into the darkness.

Commander Thade stopped at River, Sarah, and Melody's cell, seeing that they weren't able to escape. "Find them, you fools!" he ordered his men with a cross hiss, shoving one guard forward in anger. "You three are coming with me." he growled at the women, opening the cell. He quickly grabbed Melody hard and pointed his pistol at her, gaining full control of Sarah and River.


	9. The Rules

House of Silence

Chapter 8: The Rules

With the power out in the whole building, the Son and the Doctor had the advantage of stealth on their side. They both moved slowly through the shadows of the kingdom, stopping only to hide from searching Ukujaru. They worked together, deciding which corridor to take, silently signaling each other with eye movement and various hand gestures. However, the Son had his own target path.

"Where are we going?" asked the Doctor, wanting to return to the holding cells for the girls.

"We need to go back to that Dalek storage room. I need my sonic screwdriver and vortex manipulator." the Son replied, stopping at a fork in the corridor. "Why doesn't this place have windows?" he added becoming slightly irritated.

Hearing foot steps from behind, the Son pushed the Doctor back and wedged themselves in a dark, tight, broken space in the wall. Two guards raced passed them but not quite unnoticed.

"Wait!" one told the other. He stopped and sniffed the air. "I can smell them."

They started to back track their steps, sniffing out the two Time Lords like bloodhounds. The Doctor could feel the Son begin to tense, getting ready to jump out and fatally attack the two guards. To avoid anymore blood shed, the Doctor stopped the Son from making his move and dislodged a chipped piece of walling; quickly throwing it down the left corridor. The Ukujarus' hearing senses overloaded and they raced into the direction where the debris had landed. Once they were a good distance away, the Doctor and the Son continued down the right pathway to their wanted destination.

"There it is." The Son observed, seeing the familiar door. He pawed at the door before noticing a keypad. "Must every door need a password?" he growled, punching in random codes only to fail on each combination. His frustrations came to a head and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Son, are you OK?" the Doctor asked, noticing the strain in his face.

"Why do you care?" he asked back coldly. "Stupid door!" he yelled and started to furiously punch the door wildly, leaving dimples in its metal structure.

"Son, stop! You'll alert the guards." The Doctor said, prying the tempered boy away.

"Get off me!" The Son demanded, pushing the Doctor off of him. "Let them come. I'll kill every last one of them and then I'm going to get my Terrabomb back and plant it on that Dalek's fat face."

"Son, listen to me. The ring..." the Doctor started.

"No, John. I don't have to listen to you." he interrupted in a rage, grabbing the Doctor and pushing him against the door hard. "You're not my father."

The guards heard the commotion and rushed down the corridor from both side, only moments away.

The Doctor became angry at the young Time Lord's tantrum. "Maybe I should start then," the Doctor grabbed the Son's right wrist and practically dragged the resistant boy to the keypad.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The Son asked, surprised at the Doctor's strength and disciplinary grip.

"Teaching you. The ring is sonic." He replied, forcing the Son's knuckle to unlock the device, making the door open instantly. He then pulled him inside the room and repeated the lesson, closing the door quickly before the guards had reached them. Lifting the Son's hand again, he ordered, "Dead lock it, now!"

The Son unwittingly became compliant, making a fist and pointing the face of the ring towards the door and rendered the keypad useless from the outside.

Safe from being pursued, the Doctor let go of the Son and quickly found the sonic and manipulator. The Son stared at him in shock. He never experienced anyone giving him an authoritative direction in that manner. One with the demonstrational guidance of a highly experienced master and the cognition superior of his own. "How did you know how to do that?" he asked, trying to understand.

"Think about it, you opened our cell door just as easily as Melody opened the vent hatch. You just didn't see it because you were too busy showing off. If you are going to pretend to be the Doctor in front of the Dalek King, I suggest that you start using that Time Lord brain of yours rather than your fists. Rule 4 of the Doctor: never use violence, because there's always an alternate." the Doctor lectured, reminding the Son that he has to be better than the enemy. "And I'm willing to bet that the Dalek knows more about the Doctor than you do. Sarah, Melody, my wife will no longer be the safety net for your childish game. The Dalek is going to see right through you if you can't control your emotions and temper." the Doctor finished, striking a cord of realization that his own advice to his son was for himself as well.

The Son listened intently, not wanting to, but feeling that he should. Forcing his confrontational malcontent, he opened his mouth to test the boundaries of his new progenitor figure. However, before he could get a word in, the high powered computers started to click online all around the room.

"Doc-tor." A low robotic voice rang through the speakers, making a chill of fear coat the Son once again.

The Doctor gave the Son a look of bravery and fearlessness. "It's show time. Be the Doctor and show him that time is not the boss of you." he said, crossing his arms and daring the child to impress him. Giving out his final lesson.

"Doctor!" the Dalek rang out. "Face me, Doctor!"

The Son glared back, accepting the challenge and turned to the nearest monitor. "Patch me through." he ordered. The Doctor pointed the sonic at the computer, enabling the camera and mic. "Hello, there. I was wondering when you were going to call." the Son replied, showing confidence on camera.

"What are you doing?" The Dalek asked.

"Oh you know, doing Doctor-y things. I can't help you if I'm in a cell."

"Maybe you need a reminder of what's at stake, Doctor." the Dalek warned in a cold tone, switching the view of the camera to River, Sarah and Commander Thade, who still had a threatening grip on Melody and a firm gun to her head.

"We had a deal, Dalek. I terraform the planet into new Skaro and you let my friends go." he countered with his own reminder. "Harm my friends and your little kingdom will be just as flawed as you found it. The Ukujaru will still fail to extract enough palladium to make even one Dalek soldier, your support tank will continuously need constant repair because of the thin air, and there won't be a single speck of Dalekanium on the planet to create any type of Dalek weaponry."

The Doctor looked at the Son in disbelief and dread that he would promise such acquisitions.

There was a moment of silence between them as the Dalek failed to continue his threat. "The companions will not be harmed."

"Great. Now call off your Winged Monkeys so I can proceed to the next step." The Son said with a bold grin. The monitors in the area disconnected, leaving the Doctor and the Son to talk in private. "Was that _Doctor_ enough for you, John?" the Son asked childishly, feeling proud of his false imitation. However, the Doctor was not amused.

"You just gave the Dalek what he wanted. You just promised him an army!" He yelled in frustration.

"Yep, promises are just another word for lies. Isn't that rule 1 of the Doctor?" He replied. "I may not know everything about the Doctor but I know enough that he cleverly plays with his victims like a sadistic game of Chess. And as I look at the board now, I'd say I'm pretty close to check-mate." the Son told the Doctor coldly and moved to the empty Dalek shell. "He wants to see an army so I'm going to show him an army." he then places his fist on the shell activating the signet ring. Like a wall without mortar the shell shatters apart and crumbles to the floor.

In the royal chamber, the fog around the room lowered and lifted as the Ukujaru attended to their dying king. Adjusting pressure control meters and moving stream gauges to their desired compulsion. The Dalek King relaxed its thick tentacle arms as heavy medicated smoke filled its tightly cramped support tank. Its glossy eye fluttered and dripped puss as the drugs catatoniclly eased its suffering.

River examined the abomination, unable to understand how a dalek could get into such a state. Its skin was a sickly color of blueish-green and appeared to slip and rot as the creator took breaths. She quickly looked away in fear she may vomit. Finding her focus, she looked at Melody, who was weeping in silence and struggling to breath herself.

"Commander, the girl needs air. Please, let her go. She is no threat to you." she pleaded.

Cmdr. Thade growled at her, keeping his grip on Melody, but unexpectedly allowed River to step forward to assist the child.

River placed the air collar around Melody's neck, making her more comfortable. "Thank you." River told him as sincere as she possibly could in the given situation.

Cmdr. Thade watched the girl as her breathing became regular, then redirected his attention to the Dalek King. "Your Majesty, may I speak?" he asked. The Dalek peered at the old ape, giving him permission. "What does it mean to terraform?"

"The Doctor will transform this planet into the divine planet of Skaro and restore the Dalek empire." The Dalek vaguely explained.

"Is this Skaro sustainable for my people?" he asked, worried about the safety of the Ukujaru as he watched the child and his King struggle to survive in the environment he and his people were born under.

"Your race is flawed. The terraforming process will remove these flaws and evolve you into a new, stronger race of Dalek." The Dalek coughed, as more medicated smoke filled his tank once again.

"In other words, he's going to turn you into an ugly squid booger just like him." Melody interrupted bravely, making it more degrading for the Commander and any other Ukujaru listening to the conversation.

"She's right, Commander Thade. The Dalek has been playing you all like fools. You, your people, and your planet will be unrecognizable and the Ukujaru race will no longer exist." River added, forcing the old ape to realize the true intent of the Dalek King.

"Silence human!" The Dalek demanded, becoming angry at the attempted sabotage.

"Mary, this isn't our fight." Sarah harshly whispered, not wanting to die under the hands of a dalek.

"Yes it is, Sarah. It's all of our fight. It's mine, yours, the Son's, the Doctor's. It's 9 billion people." River replied more for Cmdr. Thade than Sarah. "9 billion of your people, will no longer be people."

Cmdr. Thade was struck deep into thought, lowering his gun and loosening his grip on Melody. "But this Doctor is helping the King." he protested, refusing to see the deceit.

"Because you won't help yourself." Melody said coldly. "Seeing ones own demons can reveal the true Devil."

The Commander numbly let go of Melody and turned to the Dalek King, realizing the truth.

"That's enough! Or you will be exterminated!" the Dalek yelled being surprisingly animated in its casing.

"Shut up, you fat turd! If you think you can hide behind you deception, think again. Lies are not doors, they're windows, and if you think you are safe, you're wrong! My Sonny is coming for you!" Melody screamed at the pathetic Dalek King, no longer bound by her fear.

"Exterminate them! Exterminate!" the Dalek ordered in a rage. The Ukujaru raised their weapons immediately ready to fire at will. However, they were not pointing their guns at the hostages, but at their king. "What are you doing! Obey me! Obey!" It demanded, breaking down under the stress of its anger.

"You'll find that they won't." Called out the Son as he appeared from the fog around the room with the Doctor close behind. They both wore new utility belts and armor made from broken down pieces of the Dalek's shell and technology.

"Doctor, what have you done!" the Dalek King asked.

"I told you. Doctor-y things. You see while you were sitting comfy on your throne, your subjects were hard at work adapting and applying stolen tech into their ways of life. You taught them to use the technology to make them stronger. It was only a matter of time that they used my technology." the Son gladly explained, showing Sarah's lost ear communicator to the Dalek King. "My tech is simple and easy to replicate. And, apparently, easy to hack, even monkeys can do it. Very flawed, yes, but effective." the Son paused to allow the Dalek to peer around the room, seeing that every one of the Ukujaru was wearing a replica of the ear piece. "My friend John here hacked into the communicators and began to clear the fog of war through whispers and stories about you and your race. Rule 11 of the Doctor: Use your enemies' power against them."

The Dalek King made a robotic laugh at the Son. "Do you think that I do not have defenses of my own?" Suddenly, the base of its tank started to unlatch and transform. Small hatches opened to uncover modified Sontaran gun barrels, pointing at the rogue Ukujaru. Red steam bellowed out from the vents around the room, making the Mesozoic vines and flora come to life. Slithering into the middle of the room, defending the support tank and its controller.

"But it's not your defenses though, are they?" the Son said, seeming not effected by the Dalek King's stance. "While John was making the Ukujaru see the truth, I got a little bored and started to hack the technology you abandoned so long ago. He said it wasn't possible, but why not waste time when you don't have any." the Son then unleashed 6 small floating dalek-like orbs, complete with a gun stick and a eye stock for aiming accuracy.

"Exterminate the Deserter! Exterminate the Deserter!" the small orbs echoed, while zipping around the Son in unison.

"Now here's my truth, Dalek! I'm not the Doctor, I'm his son and I have my own set of rules. Rule 1: The Son always cheats!" The Son throws a remodeled dalek gun to River and Sarah. "Check-mate." He added with a confident grin.

 **~ Hello, my readers. I wanted to note that next week's chapter maybe late because of the holiday, Halloween. It is supper important to my family and allows us to relax during the harsh harvest months. If you celebrate the holiday, I wish you a Happy Halloween and hope you have fun and stay scary. :} Let me know what you think about the story so far and what I can improve on. I enjoy all forms of opinions and reviews, good or bad, as it helps me becomes a better writer and a better person. Thanks much, Gumygum. ~**


	10. Impossible Planet

House of Silence

Chapter 9: Impossible Planet

The sound of gun fire roared through the chamber of the Dalek King. Lights and sparks erupted between the Ukujaru as they made their treason against it. The Dalek didn't waste time firing back, killing each ape one be one.

The Son pushed Melody behind him, making himself a shield for the on coming bullets. Stray or intentional, the Sontaran gunfire bounced off his fastened dalek armor with ease. However, he quickly found it hard to secure the safety of Melody and deflecting the ricochets away from his team with every hard blow.

"Aim for the casing!" The Son instructed, seeing that River and Sarah firing at the various plants and poisonous flora. River responded immediately, dodging an on coming thorn vine that whipped at her feet. Redirecting her focus, she shot out two Sontaran gun turrets on the tank's base and rendered them useless. The vine retracted back towards the Dalek King and picked a new Ukujaru victim that wasn't as quick to dodge its thorny grasp.

"Sarah, watch yourself and stay close!" The Doctor called out, pulling copper spherical objects from his belt, and tossing them in front of a giant aggressive angiosperm flower that reared up showing its deadly teeth. The balls detonated at its stem causing substantial damage. White liquid spewed from the plant's pedestal and mouth as it let out a ear piercing screech, before falling to the ground.

The sight was too much for Sarah to bare and she continued to shoot frantically at the trailing plants around her. The thorny vines violently wriggled like worms, dodging nearly every shot and reaching her very quickly.

The Son grabbed Sarah out of their path, practically throwing her towards the Doctor and the others. "Dammit, Sarah. Pay attention!" he yelled, shooting the main control plant and making the vines retract away. The team moved back from the battle as poisonous barbs started to rain around the room like arrows, hitting unsuspecting Ukujaru in their wake. "John, get us out of here!" he ordered, seeing that the Dalek's support tank was starting to crack under the pressure of gunfire and the plant life smothering it, desperately trying to protect its master.

The Dalek King screamed as the casing fractured further. No long able to take the compression, it busted through and with its long tentacles made a risky attempt to reach for Melody. The Son reacted quickly, jumping in the way of the appendage and allowing it to grab him.

"Sonny!" Melody screamed as she watched the Dalek completely wrap its tentacle around his entire upper body, pulling him back to the center of the room. She found the discarded dalek weapon that he had dropped, and without hesitation started shooting blindly at the colossal Dalek. "Let him go!" she shouted, planting every shot into its rotting flesh.

"Melody, look out!" The Doctor yelled, seeing the Dalek taking a swipe at her legs, tripping her to the ground. The tentacle flexed up in the air and began to slam down around her, unable to pinpoint her location.

Commander Thade grabbed the girl and slid her out of the way making the deadly limb miss her, pulverizing the stone flooring into rubble instead.

"No! We have to save Sonny!" She protested as the old ape carried her under his arm to the Doctor. "Put me down!"

The Doctor pulled River, Sarah, and Cmdr. Thade, who still held Melody, close to him and quickly activated the vortex manipulator around his wrist. In the blink of an eye, they were all transported miles away from the kingdom.

As the battle raged on, the Dalek continued to smother the Son tightly. "If I am to die, I will honor my race and kill one more Time Lord, Son of the Doctor." It roared and squeezed the young Time Lord in its fatal embrace.

The Son wiggled his hand free, holding a mechanical trigger device. He then pulled his other hand free and dug his fingers into the rotting flesh of the abomination, ripping the arm away from his face and taking a gasp of air.

"Fat chance." The Son muttered, flipping the detonation switch. Instantly, the dalek orbs flew to his aid, orbiting around the base of the support tank.

"Self destruct! Self destruct!" they echoed in unison, releasing their own sets of tiny spheroids that dropped to the ground like cannons, detonating on impact.

The explosion could be seen by everyone that had escaped. They stared in horror as the center of the kingdom was blown apart, leaving nothing but dust and ash.

"Sonny!" Melody screamed as tears ran down her face, knowing her mentor was dead. Red hot smoke lifted from the destruction, coating the sky with an orange hue. She angrily turned and pointing the Son's Dalek gun at the Doctor. "This is all your fault. You are going to take me back! Now!" she demanded.

The Doctor calmly held up his hands. "Melody, wait. It's not what you think." he started to explain.

"No! Sonny is dead because of you!" Melody cried in fury. The heavy gun clattered in her tiny hands as her tears and grief blurred her vision.

"Who said I was dead?" A voice asked from behind her. Melody numbly turned around seeing the Son hovering on his impossible hoverboard. His body was bruised and bloody, and the board was heavily damaged, struggling to support his weight. "Because that was a lie." He added. His board broke away under his feet and splintered out of existence, making him fall only a few feet to the ground. He collapsed to his knees as pain rang though his body.

"Sonny!" she yelled, dropping the gun and running to him. Melody hugged the Son tightly not wanting to let him go in fear that he may disappear. "I thought you left me. Why did you do that?" She cried, feeling his warmth and hearing his two hearts beat rhythmically, proving that he was indeed real.

"Leave you? I can't seem to get rid of you." He replied, poking fun at the thought of ever leaving her alone.

"That's not funny. Don't ever do that again." She sobbed in his arms.

"Never. I promise." he told her wiping her tears away with his thumb.

A wave of red smoke fell around them like a wild fire. Making the lush green environment wither away, then regrowing into a course desert with red plant life.

"What's happening?" Cmdr. Thade asked in amazement, seeing the alien setting transforming around him.

The Son stood watching the glistening red mist flow outward through the forests and brush. "My Terrabomb went off. It's terraforming the planet."

"Into Skaro?" The Commander asked in horror.

"No, I don't know the structure of that planet. I put the bomb back on its default program."

"What was the default?" Sarah asked.

Suddenly, a tree burst into a shimming silver form with reflective brilliance glittering within its leaves. "Well, me." The Son answered.

"Gallifrey." Melody whispered in delight gazing up at the newly formed tree.

"We don't have much time left." The Son said becoming serious, quickly looking at his golden wrist watch. "Commander, this is your last chance. You must sign the conversion contract to save your people." He said, rushing over to the old ape and holding up a hand comp with the contract on its display.

"I don't understand." Cmdr. Thade said with apprehension.

"When I made the Terrabomb, I needed a place of origin for its basic programming. There was no one else around so I scanned myself and equated my own origin into its data. The Planet is terraforming into Gallifrey. A planet where my ancestors were born under. The Ukujaru will evolve into Gallifreyans, but they will be long dead before that happens if you don't act now, Your Majesty." The Son explained in desperation, but the Commander stared at him in surprise. "Yeah, I know that it's you. The original King."

"How did you know? Even my own people no longer recognize me." he asked, barely remembering that far back in his past.

"Your older and tougher than any of your men. However, your eyes show sorrow and reflect a broken heart when you look at what they have become. The Dalek slowed your body clock to control you and your people. For hundreds of years, you have watched them die and unnaturally evolve under the influence of a false king. Stripping away their culture, their customs, their understanding of how they see the stars. I know how that feels, when you're nothing more then a captive animal waiting for your next performance. Hoping that small taste of freedom will be enough to get you through the next time they cage you. This contract is your window of freedom, Your Highness. Your people have suffered enough." The Son finished, showing his own suffering to the old King.

Cmdr. Thade Looked down at the hand comp. "Will my people be safe where they are going?"

"I personally will guarantee it." The Son promised.

Cmdr. Thade made a reluctant growl and pressed his rough palm onto the hand comp, signing the contract. The comp beeped, accepting the signature and immediately began the transporting process. The old King gave the young Time Lord a threatening snarl, warning him to keep his word. The Son replied with a nod and the trasmat activated.

Soon after, blue trasmats beamed all across the planet, transporting every surviving Ukujaru off the surface within seconds. Leaving the planet Loppe, with a population of 9 billion, to 0.

The Son sighed in relief. "Through the bombs and blast we will take it back." He said to himself.

"Sonny, it's just like your book." Melody said as the rest of the forest turned into magical wonders of silvers and crimson, mirroring the very words and poems at she so dearly loved.

"Not for long." he replied, "Time to get out of here." The Son quickly walked up to the Doctor, returning the vortex manipulator onto his wrist and started to enter well known coordinates.

"Can't we stay?" Melody asked, not wanting to leave.

"You know why we can't, Melody. The placement of the planet is unstable for what is about to come."

"But maybe it's not." she argued.

"Melody, we don't have time to discuss this!" he snapped at her.

"What are you guys talking about? What is to come?" Sarah asked, not understanding what was so threatening.

"The Untempered Schism." The Doctor answered in shock, feeling the weight of the time vortex pushing through a weak spot on the planet's surface.

Suddenly, the sky went completely dark and lightning struck the ground with immense force, a few yards away from the group. Uncontrolled and inexorable, a gap of unseen reality ruptured open, like a tear in existence.

The Son stared at the gap in astonishment, fighting his urges not to peer into the spiraling vortex, only to fail and began to step forward towards the impossible structure.

"Son, don't look. Turn away!" The Doctor yelled, not wanting his son to see the horrors of what the schism had to offer. However, the young Time Lord wasn't listening to the voices of the present and was transfixed at the whispers of time coming from it, driving him closer.

Wind and energy started to pull inwards into the gap like a black hole. Sucking in plant matter and debris, deleting it out of existence.

River grabbed the Son's arm, forcing him to stop, but his gaze continued, as the vortex swirled into his mind and body. "Is that my name? The name they gave me?" he weakly asked the whispering images that captivated him.

"Let it go, Sweetheart. Turn away." River calmly said, gently pulling him back towards the group. The Son unlocked his gaze and looked down at River with tears and fear in his eyes as the vortex froze in his thoughts. "Stay with me." she pleaded, pulling her tenacious child back into reality.

Snapping back, the Son shook off his vulnerable stance and ordered, "Everyone close to me!" His team gathered and he activated his vortex manipulator, transporting them all off the impossible planet.


	11. Exposure

House of Silence

Chapter 10: Exposure

The Shadow Prime Unit dropped onto the hardwood flooring of a tight hallway. The old building creaked under the teams feet as they slowly lifted themselves from the floor, kicking up dust and supporting their weight against the decaying walls around them.

"Why was that jump so rough?" Sarah asked, filling ill as her dizziness continued to flip her stomach.

"Vortex manipulators aren't exactly stable at the best of times and applying my sonic ring to boost the range didn't help. I'm honestly surprised that you haven't lost your lunch." The Son explained, ripping off the vortex manipulator from his wrist. The hot device sizzling and scorching the unkempt dry floor as it rested in the corner of the hallway.

"It helps that I haven't had any." She replied, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

"Sonny, your wrist." Melody observed in horror. His right wrist was badly burned where the manipulator once sat. The deep abrasion coiled around his wrist and continued to sear as the cold air hit the wound. "I can heal it." She added, reaching to his aid.

"No, don't touch it," he warned. "It's a time scar. Not even a full regeneration will heal that." he said, wincing in pain from the severe burn.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked, looking outside a dust caked window and seeing that they were on the top floor of an old abandoned manor.

"Graystark Hall, Washington, Earth, 1968. Want any more information? Time and date?" He mocked back, completely irritated with her questions.

"Home." Melody added, looking down the hallway and seeing the rust colored metal door to her bedroom. "Why did you bring us home, Sonny?"

"Because of her." He answered coldly, staring at Sarah.

Sarah turned to face him with a cheeky smile over her lips. "Really? I'm flattered. Shouldn't you buy me a drink first?" she asked flirtatiously, then lifted her gun towards the young Time Lord.

"Sarah, what are you doing?" River asked in surprise. The Son raised his arm in front of her, keeping her behind him.

"The Son, you are under arrest by order of the Shadow Proclamation." she stated, revealing her true title.

"On what grounds?" the Son asked, remaining calm and crossing his arms.

"On a very long list of crimes. How about we start at the most recent. Invasion and the destruction of a level 5 planet." She answered with no hesitation. "I have enough evidence to proceed through execution and take down the Kovarian Chapter." She added, feeling proud of her work.

"On what grounds?" The Son asked again, not caring about what she had to say about his criminal record.

Sarah stared at him, becoming slightly nervous towards the question. "Don't come any closer or I will shoot!" She shouted, seeing him take a step forward.

"My house, my rules." He said ignoring her warning. With great speed he rushed forward, stopping only inches from her face. He grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. Sarah screamed in pain, dropping her gun and feeling the cartilage and bone crack under the pressure. "I brought you to my home. My home in the dark because I knew it was you. My stupid little spy."

"How did you know?" She asked, baring the pain in her hand.

"Another stupid question. You humans are all the same. No wonder my father loves feeding off you." He vaguely answered, gently placing her missing ear communicator back into her ear. "Do you hear that? Your blip?" Sarah's eyes widened in shock, listening as the blip chimed in her head and remembering the first time they met. "If you are going to hack into my equipment, you better make sure I never notice."

Fear overcame her and she forcefully pushed the Son away, tripping backwards into a abandoned playroom. She looked up at the decaying, water damaged ceiling. Dozens of large humanoids peered down at her with deep darkened eyes. Their bulbous heads tilted and their bodies contorted as they dropped from the ceiling one by one.

"Dear God, what are they?" She screamed as she failed to find her footing, moving backwards in a panic, running into rusty cots and broken discarded toys.

"What? You don't remember them?" The Son asked, feeling the hatred he had for the horrid creatures. "You're lucky. They never let me forget."

The seven foot tall aliens started to appear from everywhere. Slinking out of rooms and other hallways, surrounding the team. They growled and clicked as they breathed, hissing into the Doctor and River's ear, "Confess." Their raspy voice echoed through the orphanage making the others repeat the eerie cue.

"Welcome to the House of Silence." The Son said with a malicious tone.

Suddenly, the Silents around them turned all of their attention to Sarah and seemingly began to absorb electricity from the air. The static increased as they moved into the playroom where Sarah screamed and begged for her life.

The blinding light from the collective energy beamed from the room with great force, shattering windows and shaking the old building down to its foundation. Melody turned away, grasping her ears and closing her eyes tight, protecting herself from the horrors coming from the room.

Sarah's screaming abruptly stopped as the energy from the Silents shredded her body, leaving nothing but bits of burned skin and discharge in the air.

"No!" The Doctor yelled running into the room, but suddenly forgot why he ran into the room in the first place. He looked back in confusion, feeling that something was missed. He rushed back to River's side, seeing no Silents in sight. "Do you remember anything?" he whispered to her. River shook her head in shock, feeling sick to her stomach and supporting herself against the nearest wall. However, Sarah's memory remained in their thoughts and the Doctor quickly became angry, only imagining what may have happened. "You didn't need to kill her. She was at your mercy," He said turning to the Son. "You could of just erased her mind from all of this." He added, feeling guilty about her death.

"And have the Shadow Proclamation continue to hunt me like a pack of wild dogs? And what about you, eh? You're just as suspicious as she was." The Son snapped back, stepping quickly towards him. "I look at you and I don't understand. You and your wife." He stated, pointing his pistol at the Doctor's face. "So, who are you? Are you a trick, some kind of trap?"

"Sonny, stop it!" Melody demanded, grabbing at his pant leg trying to stop him, but the Son angrily shrugged her away.

"No, Son. We're just..." River started, trying to calm him down.

"Why are you two so interested in me? How is it that you knew that I could regenerate or use my sonic so easily? How did you know about the Untempered Schism or know so much about my Father?" He questioned frantically, becoming angry under his frustration. "I look at you two and I don't understand. So, why don't you just tell me who you are!"

The Doctor and River stared in dread not sure if they should answer truthfully. River reached for her wedding ring deciding to reveal herself, but was stopped by a familiar command.

"That's enough, Son!"

The command struck the Son as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar before dinner. He lowered his pistol and turned around. "Mother?" He sputtered, seeing Madame Kovarian staring crossly back at him. In a military stance and with her hands behind her back, she gave the boy an angry, stern look. He slowly holstered his weapon and lowered his head, not daring to step over her very strict line any further.

Lieutenant Dimms pushed her way down the corridor to Melody. "Melody, are you alright?" She asked with worry and concern in her voice, as her soft gray eyes examined the small child.

"I'm fine, Auntie Dimms." Melody replied quickly. "Really, I'm fine." She added assuring that there was no injuries.

"Son, how could you take her with you?" Lt. Dimms asked, also becoming cross with him.

"I didn't. I..." The Son stuttered, equally not wanting to face his angry guardian.

"Son, explain yourself. Now!" Madame Kovarian demanded, forcing the Son to look at her with sorrow filled eyes. She walked closer to him making her seriousness more clear.

"I took her with me. I thought maybe..." The Son started to look down at his feet like a shameful child. However, Madame Kovarian aggressively grabbed his chin and forced his gaze back at her.

"Don't you lie to me." She harshly told him, giving him a final warning.

"Mother, it wasn't his fault." Melody said, stepping between them. "I sneaked onto his ship and jeopardized his mission. It was my fault that he failed. Please Mother, I'm sorry." She pleaded on the verge of tears.

Madame Kovarian looked down at the girl in disappointment, then turned her attention back at the Son. "You will go to your room and wait for me there. You know what will come next." She ordered him sternly.

She released her grip and watched him struggle to find any childish protest. "But I...didn't...I," he stuttered again, failing to find anything that could make his situation better. Giving up, he turned around and roughly pushed passed his Clerics, rushing in frustration down the end of the hallway. He quickly made his way up the step ladder into his loft bedroom, slamming the hatch behind him.

Madame Kovarian looked down at Melody and with the same tone said, "You as well. I will deal with you afterwards." Melody made no hesitation and ran to her room, also slamming the metal bedroom door closed. She then gazed up at the Son's Clerics. "And as for you two, you will be stripped of your ranks and decommissioned."

"Madame, may I make a suggestion? They can still be useful to the Chapter. I will take them under my command and supervision." Lt Dimms asked calmly and in high respects.

Kovarian thought for a moment. "Very well. They are now your responsibility and I will hear nothing more of this. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame." Lt Dimms responded immediately.

"Get them out of my sight." She ordered, moving to the side and allowing them to pass in silence.

The Doctor and River passed their Chapter leader without a word. However, the Doctor made one last glance back at her as she made her way to his son's room. He held his anger for a moment, as he noticed a heavy, thick, braided bullwhip she held behind her back.

He turned suddenly to interfere in the potential abuse towards his son, but was abruptly stopped by Lt. Dimms. "Do not make this any worse for him." She warned, showing her own anger and authoritarian wrath she also possesses. Even River shot him a desperate look, silently telling him not to do anything stupid.

Feeling out numbered, he reluctantly turned back and continued to follow orders in suppressed fury.

Lt. Dimms led the Doctor and River down to the main floor of the multilevel mansion, passed various bedrooms and classroom, down creaking stairs that desperately needed repairs and passed boarded up leaking windows.

The Doctor could feel the cold winter weather sweeping through the maze of corridors and left opened rooms. He was disgusted by the state of the orphanage and wondered how any child could live in such deplorable conditions. Graystark Hall was closed in 1967, however the building seemed much more older in its abandonment. He could feel the Time Bubble around the property and remembered that The Son mentioned the bubble once before, saying that he placed it around the house to hide Melody from him. The Doctor started to think that the Son may have placed it much earlier, slowing down time within the bubble and protecting himself from his own personal demons. After all, this was his home. The only place he felt safe from the outside world. 'But how?' He thought. 'Who was giving him knowledge of such advanced Time Lord technology?'

Lt Dimms guided the two to a strange coat closet next to the front doors of the manor. It mechanically slid open with a slight hum. The tiny closet was nothing more than a bright white metal room, the size of an elevator.

"This is a transmat pod. It will take us back to Sleepers Maw. Please, step inside." She instructed, chauffeuring them inside the small room.

The door slid close behind her and she clicked a 6 digit code into a small keypad. The transmat activated.

Once back in Sleepers Maw, and centuries away from their orphaned child, the Doctor and River found themselves walking down a familiar corridor of the living quarters.

With Lt. Dimms close in front of them, the Doctor could no longer hide his contempt. "Are you taking us to our room now, like misbehaved children?" He quipped.

"I'm sure you both are tired and would like to rest." she replied, ignoring his sarcasm.

"Hey," he snapped. "whats doing to happen to them?" He asked coldly.

Lt Dimms sighed, stopping only a few feet from their doors. "My sister will deal with her children the way she sees fit." she answered.

"Her children?" He asked again, giving the hint that he knew the children weren't hers at all.

"Yes," Lt. Dimms turned her attention towards him in annoyance. Her eyes slightly widened in hidden shock, but quickly regained her composure before continuing her answer, "her children." She, then opened their private quarters and stood to the side. "I want you two in my office promptly at 06:00 for your briefing on your next assignment. Do you understand?" She added, keeping herself in a professional manner.

The Doctor and River slipped in their dorm, but the Doctor continued to engage and questioned the order. "And what will happen if we don't?"

"Oh, I think you will be present at my door in the morning. Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Doctor Song." She said with a calm kind smile.

The Doctor and River gave the Lieutenant a shocking, almost frightened look as she closed the door, leaving them in an overtly vulnerable state.


	12. Trust and Truth

House of Silence

Chapter 11: Trust and Truth

The Doctor and River were left standing in their private quarters in dread. A large mirror hung on a far wall of their sitting area reflecting the modern decor and giving a clear view of their true forms. They're trusted perception rings had failed them. The Doctor grew in panic and quickly snatched River's left hand. He examined her precious wedding ring, then his own. No longer a glistening and stunning rose color, the perception gems were now black as ink and as dull as the deepest shadows.

"When did they time out?" River asked in shock, wondering how long they have been exposed and fearing the worst.

The Doctor pulled her by the hand into the TARDIS and quickly found his sonic screwdriver resting on the center console. He scanned both rings desperately and eagerly. The sonic calculated quickly, extending its clamps and revealing the answer.

"Outside," he sighed in relief, "moments before we entered our room. Only Lt. Dimms saw us." He finished, resting his palms heavily on the center console.

"Why didn't she say anything?" River asked, feeling her heart slow in pace.

"I don't know and that doesn't matter." He said in a severe tone, "I'm done playing this game." He growled, clenching his jaw with his ever growing anger and prepared the TARDIS for take off.

"What do you mean?" She asked, watching him as he typed in coordinates and flipped switches with heavy hands.

"We are getting our son back, now!" He angrily answered, pulling down the main lever then pushing it back to its rest position, landing the TARDIS.

River became increasingly worried as she felt that the landing was smoother than normal and the signature noise didn't echo. He had landed in silence, and completely out of character.

"Wait, what are you doing? You can't just take him like that." She warned, grabbing him and stopping him from reaching the TARDIS doors.

"River, Kovarian is abusing our child!" He shouted, rejecting her touch.

"You don't know that!" She shouted back, demanding him to listen.

The Doctor stared at her in shock and disappointment. "How can you say that? As a mother, how can you be OK with this?" He asked, gearing his fury towards her.

"I'm not. Of course, I'm not OK. I saw the scars, I saw how frightened he was at her, but I also saw myself. You can't just take him and leave me alone to face her wrath." She told him with trepidation in her expression. "Doctor, listen to me. I know that sounds selfish. I don't remember him but I also don't remember Kovarian ever putting her hands on me in that way. Ever."

The Doctor shook his head disregarding her explanation. "Then I'm taking you as well. I will not allow this to go on any further."

"Please, Doctor. Listen to me! Melody and the Son are on the same course of time."

"Time can be rewritten."

"Not this time!" She snapped at him, becoming cross in her plead. However, the Doctor pulled himself away and left the TARDIS.

The TARDIS had landed on the main floor of Graystark Hall Orphanage at the bottom of the stairs. The Doctor with determination, started up the stairs to the rooms of the children. He made no indication of the time or River's pleads for him to stop. Catching up to him, River desperately grabbed him halfway up the first level of stairs.

"River, let go of me." He growled, shooting her a warning look.

"No! You are acting irrational and unreasonable. What you are doing can have irreparable consequences. Not only that, it can be catastrophic. Not only for me but for us." She cried out, not allowing him to pull away.

"John? Mary?" A tiny voice belled at the bottom of the stairs.

The Doctor and River turned their heads down the steps, seeing Melody wearing a dull pink, large fitting nightie and holding a bowl of sugary childrens cereal.

"Melody." The Doctor said, feeling all the more guilty at her presence, thinking how her life went so wrong. He quickly glanced at River's wedding ring that sat on her finger and noticing that the gems had returned to their brilliant red color.

"What are you two doing here?" Melody asked, cocking her head in confusion. "Are you here to have breakfast with me?" she added, drawing to her own conclusion.

"Breakfast?" The Doctor asked.

"Yeah, breakfast. It is morning." she replied with a short giggle.

The Doctor looked around quickly seeing that it was indeed morning. The TARDIS disobeyed the coordinates and landed him hours after the set time. He glared at the TARDIS, slightly upset that she took River's side on the matter.

Melody saw his gaze and looked at the TARDIS as well. "What is that?" She wondered, looking up at the blue structure.

River smiled at the girl and went to her side. "Well, it looks like a Police Box from Great Britain." She observed, acting like she just noticed it herself.

"Oh, that's neat. How did it get here?" Melody asked still confused how it managed to get through the front doors. She walked around the large cupboard like box, examining it thoroughly.

Suddenly, a short, thin, bold man strolled out of the kitchens and into the room. He quickly noticed the small child. "Oh, there you are." He said weakly and with glossy, tired eyes.

"Hello, Dr. Renfew." Melody greeted kindly.

"How was your breakfast?"

"Good, thank you." She replied, but then became curious. "Dr. Renfew, did you bring this in?"

Dr. Renfew looked at the object in question and opened his mouth to speak. However, before he could something unseeingly rerouted his attention. "I...must check something. Excuse me. Yes, this way." He said nervously. He walked away from the room and down the opposite hallway, leaving the question unanswered.

"Don't mind him. He's the caretaker here. He takes good care of me and Sonny when he remembers. I've tried to ask the Silents to leave him alone, but they seem fascinated by him for some reason." Melody explained, seeing the concerned looks coming from the Doctor and River. "Anyway, why are you two here and why are you wearing your uniforms? It's Sunday, Holy Day. You're not allowed."

"We were just..." The Doctor started, but stopped, feeling himself pull away from his previous decision to take her.

"We were just worried about you." River finished.

Melody cocked her head again in confusion, but understood their worry. "Mother was angry. More angry than I've ever seen her. But when she came to my room she wasn't. She seemed normal. She even read me a bedtime story." A smile formed on her face remembering the story. "She hadn't done that in months. It was nice." She added, assuring them that there was nothing to be worried about.

"And the Son? Where is he?" The Doctor asked, not convinced.

"Mother took him early this morning. She was taking him back to the planet Loppe to finish the mission and then to Church for confession."

"She didn't take you?" River asked.

"Children my age aren't allow to go to Church. Children are pure innocence. They are always and completely forgiven. Sonny is of age so he has to go every Sunday." Melody explained as she gently placed the bowl of cereal on a nearby table.

Moments later, the door of the transmat pod opened and the Son walked into the main level where the group stood. He wore normal day clothing, blue tattered jeans, a dark green hooded sweatshirt and a leather baker jacket to keep the frigid air at bay. He stopped suddenly, noticing his Clerics were present and gave a bewildered look.

"Sonny, you're home!" Melody said, rushing over to him and hugged his mid section, "I'm so sorry." She muffled under is coat, becoming upset.

"Melody, what's wrong." He asked, turning his attention towards her.

"I'm sorry that you had to burn Gallifrey."

"What are you talking about?" He asked again, puzzled at the girls statement.

Melody released her hug and looked up at him. "Mother took you to the planet, didn't she?"

"Yes, but not to burn it. To get my ship back," he said, "Well, what was left of it." He added in disappointment. He then moved passed her towards the Doctor and River. "What are you two doing here and why are you wearing your suits still? It's Holy Day." He asked sternly, peering at the couple.

"Wait, I thought Mother was cross with you." Melody pressed, interrupting the Son's question.

"She was but not because of the mission. Because I lied." He replied to her. "Never lie to your Mother. It's not worth it, expectantly when you're caught." He lectured, turning back towards River. "Besides, why would she be cross? I made the planet 10 times more valuable. So valuable in fact that the StarCoin Company backed out on their ownership, making the planet property of the Church. I've never owned a planet before, well a dead one, but a planet never the less. And I converted 9 billion new Church members. A new church record. Oh, Mother was very pleased." He explained to the Doctor and River in delight like a rewarded child. "Look out Melody, I'm her new favorite now." He stated to her with a sly grin.

Melody crossed her arms and scoffed. "Not when she sees your recent school report card."

"You're always the rain on my parade, aren't you?" He growled, shooting her a childish scowl. He turned to what seemed to be the elephant in the room. "What is this thing?" He asked, looking up at the wooden blue box.

"It's a Police Box from Great Britain." Melody quickly answered, glancing at River making sure she got that right. River responded back with a wink and a smile.

"OK? Who brought it in here?" The Son asked his little know-it-all.

"I think Dr. Renfew brought it in," she guessed. "Do you think he had a memory relapse?"

"A memory relapse?" The Doctor questioned curiously.

"Yes, sometimes he has them. He use to be an Archaeologist before he started to care for children. The whole basement is packed full of old books and artifacts from all over the world. He use to tell wondrous stories about trips to Egypt to explore the Pyramids of Giza. Or to dig sites at the Mayan Ruins in Mexico." Melody said, feeling pity for the old caretaker.

"Unfortunately, the Silents has wiped his memory too much and now its rare to even catch him staring, trying desperately to remember his past." The Son added. "But once in a while you'll see an artifact pop up with a story attached to it. He always told me, if you're looking for someone, look in the past." The Son looked up at the TARDIS with curiosity. He lifted his hand to touch the alluring structure. However, before he could place his fingers on its blue painted door his hand comp alerted inside his coat pocket. Instantly, he diverted his attention to the call and turned his back on the TARDIS.

"What is it?" Melody asked as she watched him read the comp tensely.

"Work."

"But it's Sunday and you promised to take me to the city today." she replied becoming upset.

"It's because of you that I have to work today, Melody." He snapped at her.

"More lies and broken promises. I hate you!" She shouted, running up the stairs in anger.

"That's not the issue, Sweetie!" He shouted back, but the guilt pressed on him and he said, "I didn't say you weren't going."

Melody stopped mid way up the stair and turned back in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The mission is yours." The Son replied, not happy about the new orders. He then tossed the hand comp to her. "I'm not the one who got in trouble, Melody. Mother thinks you're ready." His voice lowered with concern.

Melody looked down at the comp in shock and clicked it on. She started reading the command and became exited. "My first mission." She said with a wide smile. However, her smile slowly disappeared and she looked at the Son for guidance. "What do I do?"

The Son chuckled at her question. "Well, you can start by getting dressed and ready." Immediately, Melody rushed up the stairs with excitement and enthusiasm. "Hey, make sure you wear a coat. It's cold where we're going!" He called out, only to be ignored by the overly eager child. He sighed as she disappeared from his sight and he turned to the Doctor and River. "You two, get into civilian clothes and report to Lt. Dimms. We're leaving in an hour." He ordered. He glanced up at the TARDIS, but shook off the wonder and headed up the stairs himself.

"Son," the Doctor started, stopping the Son and getting his attention, "are you OK?" He asked, unsure of the well-being of his own.

"Why do you care?" The Son asked coldly. There was a moment of resentment in the Doctor and River that wasn't truly intentional and the Son felt a split second of guilt. "I'm great." He reinstated with a fortifying grin and restoring their faith within them.

The Doctor nodded in agreement as he watched the Son continued up the stairs and out of sight. He looked at River for encouragement and forgiveness. She smiled at him, understanding his worry and knowing they are one step closer in their own personal mission to getting their son back.

River grabbed the Doctor's hand and guided him into the TARDIS. Without a word she returned the TARDIS to their private quarters in Sleepers Maw. They both dressed into their normal attire and set off to Lt. Dimms' office.

Upon arriving, Lt. Dimms caught them outside her door. "You're late." She said, with a stern voice. However, her face softened knowing that they would be. "Here is your new assignment." She added, handing the Doctor his own hand comp.

"Why are you doing this?" The Doctor asked curiously, not understanding why she was keeping their secret hidden from the higher authorities.

Lt. Dimms approached him with a kind smile. "We both bleed the same lie, Mr. Smith." She told him as she pinned a new badge to his inner collar of his tweed jacket. "Besides, you are my favorite student and I know that you two will make sure he finds his feet home."

Suddenly, a group of determined Ukujaru approached her. They were suited in Military trainee uniforms and eager to get started with their next level of training sessions. "We are ready for duty, Bishop." One growled as he peered down at the Doctor and River.

"Very good. Follow me to your next station." She instructed them. "May God be with you." She told to the Doctor and River, leaving them with her last farewell.

The couple stared for a moment, watching their Lieutenant guide the new members to their new life. Conflicting emotions rang through River seeing the Ukujaru race end before it truly began, but was happy to see them adapt so easily to this new existence.

"He really did save them." The Doctor said with a proud tone.

"He gets that from you, Sweetie." River replied following him towards the Launch Bays transport pads. "Along with your stubbornness." She added, poking fun.

The Doctor laughed. "Yes, OK. I was wrong. But I still don't think it's right." They both stepped onto the transport pad and it instantly teleported them to the bays where the Son and Melody where waiting in the distance.

"I know. But the more we gain his trust, the more he will see the truth. There is more than one way to save someone. I'm proof of that." River said, giving him her best ocean eyes. The Doctor leaned into her and kissed her passionately, fully accepting her enlightenment and grace.

"John, Mary!" Melody called out. "Over here!" She waved at them with an eager look. They walked to the girl seeing that she was wearing her maroon overalls and a heavy pink winter coat with her hair pinned back. "Check it out. Auntie Dimms gave me a new badge like yours." She said, pointing to the newly designed crest displayed on her chest. Similar to the old badge, but with two vertical lines instead of one. "Are you two ready?" She asked with pride and a commanding expression.

"Yes, ma'am." River replied, looking up at the Doctor, who smiled in agreement.

"Great. Let's move out!" The Son commanded from the door way of his repaired blue space cruiser. "I'll brief you on the way." He said, allowing them to enter. Once inside he closed the hatch and prepared the ship for launch.

Moments later, the small ship moved away from the massive base of Sleepers Maw and then thrust into space once again to its next destination.

End.

 **Hello, my readers. Thank you for reading the first part of my three part story. I've had so much fun writing this and I have so much more to share. I've been developing this story for quite a while and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. However, I'm taking a month long holiday and will not be able to start the next part until the following year. So I hope you enjoy the story and have a fantastic holiday. Please rate and review and thanks again for the support. :}**


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